The Lion King 5: The New Generation
by Black Wolfess
Summary: Navayu and Nibanu are twins looking for a new home. When they stumble across the Pridelands, they become a target for Jedkin, the leader of the remaining Outlander Pride. But will his brother Kinau let him get away with his evil plan to reclaim the land?
1. Chapter 1: The Story Begins

_((Alrighty…since I'm extremely lazy, I'm just going to say this outright; constructive crits and comments are greatly appreciated! The same goes for every chapter that you will read. I would love to hear what you think! Thanks!))_

The Serengeti sizzled with the heat of the very late afternoon, blinding sunshine seeming to pool in the thick grasses. A few sparse clouds hung in the sky, and a cloud blocking the sun for more than a minute was a rare occurrence today. In this heat the African life flourished, although you could seemingly cut the humid air with a knife. Gazelle, Warthogs, Elephants, and Wildebeest snorted and stomped as they congregated around the water hole, and the birds in the trees were chirping happily. Most of the night animals were just awakening from their day-long slumbers, for sun-set was about an hour away.

Stretched out under a sausage tree, a lioness relaxed contentedly. She was laying on her back, soft underbelly skyward, and her chest rose and fell as she breathed. Her soft pelt was a creamy, beautiful shade of peach. Her underbelly and muzzle were a lighter hue of the same color, and her closed eyes were a metallic shade of navy blue. Her brother lay near her on the farther and lower end of the rock, concealing him from foreign eyes. He was the same color, mane of pure ivory white, The tip of his tail matching his mane. Both siblings had smoke gray legs, the color stretching up to their chests and hips. Ebony tiger stripes zigzagged on top of the gray coloring, and their claws were ebony when extended. This was very uncommon for any Pridelander descendant, not to mention any lion at all, but the two bore these markings with pride. Pride because they displayed their _pure_ Pridelander heritage.

The two lay in happiness and content, relaxing on this lazy afternoon. Neither was hungry; as a matter of fact, they just ate. The female, Navayu, wasn't asleep, but her brother, Nibanu, was out cold. Unbeknownst to them, however, they were being watched…

Stalking through the emerald grasses nearby, a dark, massive figure slunk low. The creature had spotted the pair laying idle on the rock, and had decided to investigate. He was on the farther side of the boulder and only saw the male. He smiled sinisterly; He loved a good fight. With a deafening roar, the creature hurled itself towards the male and gripped on to him. Both went rolling instantly.

Nibanu's gasp of terror turned into a triumphant roar as he wrangled with his attacker. The wind itself seemed to be in his paws as he gave deadly, mid-air swipes, missing the attacker by mere inches. The female's metallic eyes fluttered open instantly as she shot up in her position. She had heard a soft rustle in the grass, but it had undaunted her until now. She gave a fearsome roar, and charged after the two. The creature was another male lion, but his features remained a blur as they toppled around in the dust. He growled also, then roared as he pinned his enemy.

Nibanu looked up into his attacker's eyes with his own ice-blue ones. He studied the other male's features, wondering where his sister was. The main part of the male's body was chocolate brown, like the bark of a tree. His underbelly and muzzle were a dark mocha, his mane and tail-tuft ebony. His piercing eyes were jade green, and he had a black lightening-bolt shaped scar over his left eye. He smiled sinisterly, teeth bared in a mocking way, and leaned for Nibanu's throat.

Like a bullet, Navayu shot towards the male and caught him in mid-air, both flying to the side and successfully diverting the attack. The two hit the ground with a loud thud, and rolled until she pinned him. She then leapt off of him, leaving him frozen with shock, and ran to aid her brother.

The male shook his head, bewildered. A lioness? He stood up and shook himself off, looking at the female. He smiled as he surveyed her slender physique; there was no doubt in his mind that she was beautiful.

"M'lady," he said, deep voice proper yet sinister at the same time, "Nice diversion." She glared at him, gaze locking with his.

"Who are you?!" she demanded fiercely, taking a step towards him. Her ivory canines were fully bared, making razor-blades seem like child's toys. Her brother was at her side, also glaring at the lion. He snorted and quickly licked a scratch on his paw from the other male.

"There's no need to be so defensive." he said, walking directly in front of her. Navayu instantaneously snapped at him, growling. The male recoiled, and then laughed softly. "You think you're so tough?" he said, almost challengingly.

"I don't _think_…" she said sassily, "I _know_." Her brother chuckled to himself. He knew his sister wouldn't take anything from anybody, no matter if it was Ahadi himself.

Navayu kept staring him down, eyes not breaking the penetrating gaze between them. A low, almost un-audible growl rumbled deep within her throat. Her brother sat on his haunches. He didn't like the look of this male, and, by the looks of it, the male didn't like him either.

The male lion smiled and sat on his haunches. He thought a proper introduction was in order. He gave a courteous bow of his head, and then returned gazes with the female.

"My apologies on the scare I caused." he said in a believable way. "I'm Jedkin; son of Rainne and Camal. Pleasure." Both siblings looked puzzled.

"Who's Rainne?" Navayu asked, half curious, half suspicious. "And Camal?" She knew in the pit of her stomach that her & Nibanu were descendants of the great past king, Simba. In fact, they were his great-grandchildren. Jedkin smiled and began the tale of his heritage…

"When Simba and Zira clashed in the "Great Battle" long ago, Simba allowed the separation of the so called 'outsiders' and 'pridelanders' to diminish completely. However, five or six lions still had a brewing hatred in their hearts for Simba. He had now killed their faithful leader, Zira, not to mention Scar. Deeply angered, they returned to the Outlands and formed their own pride; The Dark Legion, they called it. Rainne had been a faithful and very close friend of Zira's, and took charge of the small pride without question. She was a great leader, keeping the hatred of Simba still flowing through the veins of her followers, when she met Camal. He was a rouge lion from the east, wandering far from his home. The two fell in love, and had two cubs; me & my brother, Kinau." Navayu and Nibanu nodded, taking it all in. Their own explanation was the exact opposite of Jedkin's. Navayu, as usual, took immediate charge and began their story.

"I am Navayu and this is my brother Nibanu," she said, her tone more mellow and relaxed than earlier. "We are direct descendants of Simba; as a matter of fact, we're his great-grandchildren. Our mother was Kovu and Kiara's daughter, Mitanu." Jedkin skipped a breath. 'Simba?!'

"Aye," he said, shaking his head in understanding. "So we come from different sides of the River." He gestured towards the northwest, where Pride Rock's rigid outline could be seen. A wide river wound through the sea of grass somewhere between their position and Pride Rock. Navayu shrugged.

"Well, no matter; what do you want?" Her tone had taken on a less brazen attitude, and her eyes had softened. She retracted her claws silently. Jedkin thought.

"Nothing really. Just out for a stroll." Nibanu looked shocked.

"So you just randomly decided to attack some innocent lion? Is that what your normal walks consist of?" Navayu shot him a look of malice, but it did little to smooth the hackles he'd raised. Jedkin looked at him, eyes flashing with a venomous look before the emotion was hidden.

"As this is my territory, I would do well to make sure that any unfamiliar males aren't going to take it." He said. His voice was so calm that it unnerved Nibanu. "It is nature's way, not mine." Nibanu snorted and diverted his eye contact from him.

"Well, Jedkin, do you approve of our stay?" Navayu suddenly became her normal, pleasant self. Jedkin looked at her and smiled.

"Of course, Navayu. I only ask that you enjoy yourself." She dipped her head in a courteous gesture.

"Thank you very much." She retreated to back to the rock. Nibanu glared at Jedkin. The male shifted with unease after a bit, and then proceeded to leave.

Navayu leapt off of the boulder and followed him to the edge of the grass. "Wait!" He turned to look at her. She smiled warmly. "Won't you visit with us a bit? After our long journey, it's kind of difficult to find new friends." Jedkin chuckled and Nibanu gaped.

"Certainly. The pleasure of your company sounds lovely." Nibanu took his sister's perch atop the boulder and curled into a compact ball, facing away from them. The other two laid at the base of the formation and talked for hours about the sibling's life, journey, and future plans. He shut his eyes tightly and tried to sleep, but he unwillingly eavesdropped their every word.

After a while, they had fallen into a silence as Jedkin and Naayu stared at the night sky. The ink backdrop made the thousand upon thousands of stars seem like shards of luminescent, broken glass. She sighed blissfully; the faint sound reminded Jedkin of the time. He rose from his place quickly and began to tread off into the grass. "Where are you going?" Navayu asked softly. Jedkin smiled.

"Home, M'lady." With that he turned about and trekked off into the tall grasses, the tips of the long, sword-like stalks lapping at his chest.

"See you around sometime!" Navayu called, smiling. Nibanu remained silent, glad that he was leaving. He still didn't trust the lion, although his sister seemed to. Jedkin smiled sinisterly.

"Indeed you will," he said lowly to himself, too low for foreign ears. "Indeed you will…"


	2. Chapter 2: Kings Of The Dark Legion

A thick, dark gray cloud crept in front of the moon, leaving Jedkin to melt into the shadows. He trotted onward through the savannah grasses alone, millions of thoughts flooding his mind, and most of them centered on Navayu. He would find a way to make that beautiful lioness his mate; He had already decided that. Now, all that was left was to woo her into fathering his cubs. He needed to make sure that the soon-to-be Queen of the Dark Legion was a sassy, toughened up female…and that's exactly what she was. He'd never been one to judge too quickly, but time was running out, and fast. He needed to find a future queen as soon as possible, and she looked to be promising at the moment. She was beautiful, but was she 'queen' material? Her cub-like attitude and quick judgment seemed to dismiss that thought. But he had to have her, either way, and mostly because of her beauty. A handsome king needs a queen of equal standards, eh? 'And what about that Nibanu character?' he pondered. He was already suspicious of Jedkin, and matters would get worse as time went by. Wouldn't he be suspicious of Jedkin's continuous sneaking out all the time in the middle of the night? Or maybe the fact that new lions that just seemed to appear from nowhere with the original dark pelt colors of the outlanders? He knew he'd have to get rid of Nibanu, and fast. But how?

His thoughts were interrupted by the soft, almost un-audible sound of the dry grasses splitting apart. He looked up to see another male lion, a little smaller than he was. This opposing male looked exactly the same as Kovu, the most legendary king the outlands had ever seen (That is, until he 'betrayed' his family, so to speak. But he was discussed frequently, nonetheless). It was his younger brother, Kinau. The younger male's eyes flashed their metallic, navy blue color in anger, the tiny flecks of forest green even seeming to flicker. He was ready to pounce, but had realized it was his brother. He snorted.

"Never any action around here," he scoffed, rough tone hiding his usual handsome and youthful one. He turned about and began to trot off, Jedkin catching up to him and trotting in sync. "What did you find out about these new visitors?" he asked softly, eyes never leaving the path in front of him. Jedkin paused, leaving an eerie silence between them, but answered eventually.

"They're not from around here," he began gruffly. They now entered the presence of the other pride members, as they were now passing through the pride's main territory. Many were simply strewn out on the ground, not asleep, and in their company Kinau would be all business. "One's a female." He caught his brother's ears perk slightly, and smiled. "Maybe you should be the one to seduce her, brother…" Kinau smiled and came to a halt.

"Maybe I should," he said, looking at his brother. "After all, I am more attractive." Both brothers chuckled lowly, the other pride members rolling their eyes. They seemed unhappy with his reappearance.

"Seriously Kinau," said Jedkin, beginning to trot towards the den again, "We need a plan. She's a gorgeous female, brother, and I'd love to make her my queen. But she travels with her sibling, Nibanu, and he's going to cause trouble for us in the future. He will more than likely get too suspicious and eventually find what we're doing." Kinau nodded as he listened, thinking about the plan itself. The whole idea was to re-assume the highest position in the Pride Lands, the 'royal pride', and return a monarchy to the savannah. Only, their monarchy would end up being a dictatorship, thanks to his brother's maniacal ways. He secretly opposed the thought, but had remained silent.

"I see…" he said softly, as they neared the mouth of a small cave. It lead into the ground from the opening in a dried out lake basin. Jedkin continued inside while Kinau turned around and gave a loud, ear-shattering roar to rally the lionesses. "He could pose a problem. But right now, let's focus on the main topics. Are you going to rule, brother, or shall I?" There was another awkward silence. "I will last longer, mind you." He added suggestively.

"Although that is true," Jedkin said, plopping down near the rear of the cave on a higher slab of rock, "_I _will be king." With that, he laid his head on his crossed front paws and fell asleep. Kinau rolled his eyes. His brother thought himself higher than everyone else. As the lionesses passed him by he glanced at each one, making sure everyone was present. After a few minutes of sorting in his mind, he realized that Nikka, one of the cubs, was missing.

Silently, he slipped away and into the grasses. Being the 'king', one of the two, anyway, it was his responsibility to make sure that everyone was safe. His brother did a sloppy job of that, which was for sure. Besides, Jedkin was asleep, and Kinau certainly didn't mind the extra attention he got from the cub's mother, Duyani. He traced he cub's scent with his nose until it faded into the humid air. He looked up, realizing that he had been simply following the scent and not paying attention. He looked around, but only saw the dull gray sky of early morning and the thick blanket of fog covering the grass. He groaned; He knew he was lost. He spotted a boulder nearby and leapt on its top. He collapsed with a stressful sigh, and fell into a deep, deep slumber.


	3. Chapter 3: Kinau

A small smile played at the corner of Nibanu's lips as he lifted one paw off his face. He let his left eye wander about the surrounding terrain, seeking out every living creature. He could see gazelle in the distance, and giraffes grazing in the trees that provided them shade. Wildebeest were near the waterhole, various peccaries on their backs and also the backs of the rhinos that kept them company. He smiled broader, seeing his sister a few feet off, and almost pounced on her until she turned around.

"Hey!" She exclaimed, trying to sound angry. "You're not supposed to peek, you stupid brute!" He smiled and stood up, trotting to her. He nuzzled her lovingly.

"You know how much we look like cubs, right now, right?" he asked seriously, smiling. "We're grown adult lions, Navayu, not playful cubs with nothing to do on a hot day like this."

"You whiner." she said mischievously, "There's no one around, anyway. And besides," she paused and looked at the dull gray sky above them, sun barley visible by the cloudy sheen. "It's not day yet; Its barley morning!" He rolled his eyes and then hunched down. She looked at him in a funny way. "What're you doing?" she asked, remaining blissfully ignorant to his intentions.

"If I'm gonna play," he said mischievously, "Than I'm going to play _my _way!" With that, he launched himself forward to pounce on his sister. Both giggled and rolled around in the dust, generating a small cloud as they tossed and turned. Navayu eventually broke free and laughed out loud as she raced into the grass. Her brother roared, smiling, and gave chase. Both giggled and ran. Nibanu was struggling to keep up with his sister, who was running at full sprint. Her tongue lolled out of the side of her agape jaws as she caught the wind in her cheeks. She looked back once at her brother, who seemed to be gaining on her, and smiled evilly. She then gazed forward and began to step up a notch as she pressed herself harder. Nibanu gasped, and then laughed as he pushed himself as well. She'd gotten a lead on him anyway; it wasn't his fault he was behind. He thought this over and over, blocking the truth from his mind. He hadn't run in a while, and wasn't used to it. He smiled as he realized how long it had been since he had actually played with his sister.

Navayu saw a boulder nearby, and squinted her eyes to focus on it's gray surface. With a smile, she instantly whipped left and began to run towards it. Nibanu skidded to an unsightly and anything but graceful stop, and then turned to chase her. She was far ahead of him now, and smiled as she looked back at him.

"Catch me if you can!" she giggled, running forward and leapt over the boulder. Her rear paw caught hold of something, though, and she crashed to the ground, bringing whatever it was down with her. Both she and the object hit the ground with a sickening thud, and Navayu rolled a few times.

The now very dazed lioness blinked her eyes a few times, trying to focus her vision. She wasn't seriously injured, but it did knock the wind out of her. Her skin clung tight to her ribs as she took those first few unsuccessful breaths, nostrils flaring and her eyes squinting. She finally got her lungs to expand, and gasped loudly as she caught her breath. She stood up, wobbling slightly, and was quite startled by a loud moan coming from behind her.

She whipped around to see another lion; a male lion. He looked a little bit like Jedkin, in fact. She then smiled, realizing it was Jedkin.

"Jedkin!" she said, laughing. "I'm so sorry!" She was about to continue speaking until the male looked up. His gaze met hers, and she blinked a few times. His eyes were navy blue, much like a darker shade of her eye hue, but they had small flecks of forest green in them. This male also wasn't the same color as Jedkin, and he was far more attractive. This wasn't Jedkin! She laid her ears flat against her skull and took a defensive stance, wriggling her nose before snorting.

Kinau had to laugh at her nose twitch; he couldn't help it. He then met her gaze again, and realized that this was the lioness that his brother had discussed with him. He briefly glanced at her strange tiger striped legs. He then realized that she was pure Pridelander, and smiled.

"Pardon you, miss," he said, voice it's natural handsome tone. She glared at him.

"Pardon _me_?" she growled, "But I believe it was _you_ that was in _my _way!" He chuckled softly.

"I was sleeping, M'lady," he answered cockily, "And nothing more! How can I be in _your _way if I've been here since last night?" She continued to glare at him for a minute, but her gaze then softened.

"I," she paused and glanced at the ground, "I don't know how you were in my way." She sat on her haunches and bobbed her head courteously. "Sorry, Sir." She said quietly. He smiled at her.

"Sir?" he asked, smiling. "I am certainly no Sir." He bowed as well. "But I accept your apology nonetheless, even though you didn't mean to knock me over." He then paused, sat down, and chuckled. "I'm sorry too, M'lady," he said, glancing towards the boulder. "I guess it was my fault that you tripped." She smiled, too.

"Guess it was," she laughed, "But you've got to admit, flying through the air was pretty cool…" He nodded in agreement, and both began to laugh at their own mistake.

The laughing fit was interrupted by the loud thud of Nibanu leaping over the boulder and landing beside Kinau. He trotted to his sister, panting and not even noticing Kinau.

"M'lord!" Kinau said cheerily, "How nice of you to join us!" Nibanu whipped around to face him, and studied him closely. He sat down.

"Jedkin?" he asked, monotone, "Since when do your eyes have green in them?" Kinau laughed.

"Wrong lion," he said, smiling. Nibanu suddenly became a little overprotective.

"Than who are you?" he demanded, doing so as gently as he could. Navayu nodded in agreement. Kinau smiled.

"I am Kinau," he said, "Second king of the Dark Legion." Navayu and Nibanu nodded, knowing now what the Dark Legion was. This stranger was still a mystery to both though, as was how he looked almost nothing like Jedkin. Navayu then perked her ears, realizing something he'd said. She nudged her brother softly out of the way and he sat down with an exasperated snort.

"You say you're the _second_ king?" she inquired. He nodded up and down, and she was a little confused. "Than who's the _first _king?"

"My brother, Jedkin, of course!" he answered, knowing it would grab their attentions. Navayu smiled.

"Really? We met him last night." She said, smiling. She then made a funny face as her stomach let out a loud gurgle. She looked down at her belly and then at Kinau and her brother. She giggled. "Guess I'm hungry, eh?" Kinau smiled and nodded.

"Seems to be that way," he said, standing up. "Want to go for a hunt?" Nibanu glared at him, and Kinau caught it out of the corner of his eye. 'Jedkin said you were trouble,' he thought in his mind, smiling at him. Nibanu simply snorted; he didn't trust this male more than he distrusted Jedkin. That's not to say he would choose one to be friends with, either. Ignoring the suggestive glances from her sibling, Navayu nodded excitedly.

"Would you like to?" she asked, smiling at him. He nodded, and began towards the grass. Navayu smiled and went to follow, but realized her brother wasn't going along with it. "What, Nibanu?" she asked lovingly, looking into his eyes concernedly. He paused before answering with a glare.

"You're so quick to judge, sister!" he said harshly, tone teeming with anger. "For all you know, Jedkin could be waiting to kill you in the grasses! And this Kinau character could be seducing you, only to use you for his evil plot to make you his queen! For all we know, sister, he _could_ just want to take you away from me long enough to kill you without anyone noticing for a few days!" Navayu glared at him.

"I'm not quick to judge, brother!" she growled, ears pinned back. "I'm just actually acquainted with reality. Do you honestly think that some random lion is going to try and slaughter me?"

"They always could, and you know it. Jedkin would've killed me yesterday if you hadn't…"

"That was different that going on a hunt with another lion. He's even friendlier that Jedkin!"

"Jedkin wasn't friendly at all…"

"Why can't you trust anyone else but me?!" She demanded. Nibanu took a step forward.

"You know _exactly _why I don't trust anyone but you, Navayu! I have a reason!" he yelled, grimacing. His sister curled her lips back too, bearing her teeth.

"Just because Misha betrayed you doesn't mean everyone in this world is going to, too!" She snapped, yelling over her brother. He turned away.

"You wouldn't understand, Navayu," he said lowly. She gasped.

"Me? Not understand?! Nibanu I was there! I was the one that saved your life!" she yelled loudly. Nibanu then looked at her, gaze still hateful.

"He's a killer, Navayu, just look at him!" he said fiercely, referring to Kinau. "He's not like us, sister, and never will be!" Just then, he caught a figure out of the corner of his eye.

Both siblings looked to see Kinau standing in silence, listening to the siblings. He didn't say a word as his eyes jumped from Navayu to Nibanu a few times, and then sat down.

"Kinau, um, uh…" Navayu said softly, turning towards him. "It's not what you think…" Kinau interrupted her.

"Never mind it," he said, looking over at Nibanu briefly. "I won't hold a grudge if you won't." Nibanu simply turned and stalked off into the grasses silently, then speeded up to a run. He ran until he was out of sight of the two, trying his best not to cry. Navayu had brought up Misha…

Navayu sighed as she watched her brother's retreating form until it disappeared. She shook her hanging head slowly, sighing deeply.

"Is he going to be alright?" Kinau asked, dipping his head low to meet gazes with Navayu's lowered eyes. She shook her head.

"Just let him alone," she said softly, turning to hunt. "It's better for him to deal with this by himself." Kinau nodded, and the two ran off in the opposite direction that Nibanu had.


	4. Chapter 4: The Hunt

Navayu and Kinau trotted in sync with one another; nothing around them but golden, rippling savannah grass. Both remained silent as they walked onward, thinking. Neither one of them knew, though, that they were thinking about _each other_.

Kinau was contemplating on how he would get out of this. He secretly hated the Dark Legion, and used to look up to Simba when he heard tales about him. He was beat as a cub for it; he was beat because they, the other, older cubs, said he should've been a Pridelander, and that he was a disgrace to the Dark Legion. He was too small to fight them; they were two year old cubs, not a weak year old cub like he was. They had the startings of a mane; he had nothing to show off. And what's worse?! His brother did nothing to stop it, either, just simply 'turned the other cheek'. He had held a grudge against his brother for that forever, and still did. He didn't want to have _any _part in this, but Navayu was the problem.

All his life, Kinau had never truly loved anyone, with the exception of his mother, brother, and Damitra. He'd only ever known the kind of love you felt when dealing with family, not love for another, like the love for a mate. Therefore, he didn't know that the tiny feeling of floating in his heart was the beginnings of a crush for Navayu. He'd already accepted the fact that she was beautiful, and thought it would just blow over. But her personality did something to him. It erased every thought or feeling involving 'the plan'. He focused only on her and himself, not his brother and Nibanu. This was nothing like the instinctual, testosterone-oriented lust he had experienced, and he knew it. The only problem was, he didn't know just _what_ it was.

Navayu had the same feeling in her stomach, but it was new to her for a different reason. She'd never really loved anyone, although she'd acted it. She had seduced many males, but usually just toyed with them. She knew she was beautiful, and she knew how to use her beauty as a weapon. She mostly seduced them to get what she wanted, but it had never been serious. When she 'seduced' them, it was a simple smile to get him to escort her across enemy territory, especially when that male _was_ an enemy, or batting her eyelashes to get a ration of meat. It had never been serious, and she never thought she'd actually settle down. She'd usually picked out the cuter ones, and only felt the beginnings of lust. However, this feeling was not the same; something in her heart told her that Kinau was special. She remained blissfully ignorant to this love that brewed between them, as did Kinau.

Her train of thought was wrecked when she heard a faint sound. Her ears perked, and she almost instantly dropped to the ground. Kinau did the same, muscles tense. Without a sound, both crept in unison towards the edge of the grass, Navayu first. She stuck her muzzle between two large blades, separating them with only a soft scrape. Her metallic eyes sparkled, and a small smile crept across her muzzle as she spotted a gigantic herd of antelope. Her eyes switched from each one to another, until she spotted a fawn. She studied the young male closely, his small sides bulging with fat. It took everything inside her to keep her from laughing aloud, for he looked like a small pig. She knew it wouldn't be enough for all three of them, and so began to search again for another meal. She didn't have to look far; the mother was not far off. She was also fat, but not to the point of obesity that her offspring was. Most of the other gazelles were either emaciated or just meaty enough to survive, for gazelle were not particularly plump by any means. They had to keep their figure slim and aerodynamic for their powerful bounces, which was usually the tool they used to escape their predators. But, judging by the size of the mother and her fawn, she knew they would be an easy kill. Well, easy as gazelle go, anyway.

Never taking her eyes off of the targets, she spoke faintly to Kinau. He was hidden enough to lean towards her to hear.

"The fawn and the doe," she said softly, trying not to spook them. She dramatically cut her voice off when the leading buck raised his head to survey his surroundings. His nostrils flared as he drank in surrounding scents, realizing that there was someone close. Navayu's muscles twitched and tensed as she shifted her shoulders, hunching down. She took a step forward in the grass, Kinau copying her every move exactly. After a moment of silence, the buck lowered his head, and Navayu sprung.

The lioness leapt up and out of the grasses in an instant, Kinau following after in unison. She gave a deafening roar, charging at the fawn, and Kinau veered away to chase the female. The herd began to gallop away, all of them seeming to launch away in perfect unison. The little fawn had no time to react as Navayu leapt up again and landed on top of him. It squealed and kicked, and slipped out of her grasp. She got up and gave chase again, snarling. It ran to it's mother, and both began to catch up with the herd through a small, hollowed out path in the grass.. Kinau roared and leapt in their path; they couldn't retreat, either, seeing as Navayu was slowly stalking towards them from behind.

The fawn's tiny, black eyes bulged with fright, it's mother's expression the same. Both gazelle were shaking, the fawn tucked under it's mother. It's head was up against her belly with it's small ears pinned sideways. Kinau locked eyes with the mother and snarled, taking a step towards her. She didn't move at all; she simply stared and tightened her muscles. While she was preoccupied with him, Navayu stalked closer and closer. She was right at the mother's heels when the tiny fawn bleated loudly.

The mother instantly leapt upward in panic, shooting her hind legs out behind her. She wasn't about to stay and defend her offspring; a gazelle's instinctive nature was to flee, not fight. The tiny fawn took after his mother, running in panic. Navayu swiped under its hind legs, and it fell forward, bleating again. The mother leapt upwards, kicking again; this time her hooves cracked the fawn on it's fragile temple. It instantly dropped to the ground, the hard blow killing it without any suffering. The gash its mother's hoof had left was deep and bleeding; she had undoubtedly cracked its skull. She had also hit it so hard that it snapped the neck instantly. Navayu stopped for a second and snuffed the small carcass. He smelled dead to her, and definitely looked it. Just to be sure, she bit into it's tiny throat and shook it vigorously. The small, lifeless body snapping around like a rag doll. She proceeded to lay it down in the grass nearby, and rushed off the help Kinau.

Kinau was halfway on top of the galloping quadruped, his front claws digging into its ever shifting shoulders. He tried his best to grip onto it's side with his rear claws, but kept slipping. He would then hoist himself back up with the help of his hind paws, leaving deep, rigorously bleeding wounds in her side as he did so. Every time this occurred, she let out a loud, painful bleat, leaping up in the air. He managed to hold on, but just barley, as she kept on galloping. He looked around in a frenzy, wondering where Navayu was. The way this hunt was going, he'd be lucky to even bite the neck, let alone suffocate the animal.

Navayu appeared at his side as soon as she caught up, catching his attention out of the corner of his eye. He looked towards her, back at the fawn, and then smiled down at her. He then grimaced and fell off of the gazelle, hitting the ground hard and rolling painfully a few times. Navayu stopped and looked at him briefly, seeing the small, rounded wounds on his side. They looked blunt, to her. She then gasped. The gazelle had _bit _him! She snarled and began to run after it, leaving Kinau to himself. He would get up as soon as he caught his breath.

She whirled around to see the gazelle some distance away. The herd had again stopped, and rested peacefully in a small clearing. She ran and caught up, bolting into the nearby grasses with one undetectable, silent leap. She again split the grasses and peered out at the herd, gazing around for the female. She was easy to spot for Navayu, standing alone near the back of the herd. Her tongue lolled out of the side of her mouth, her various, deep cuts bleeding profusely. She panted and her sparsely showing ribs stretched her skin out. The others avoided her, knowing full well that she would attract predators. But there was strength in numbers, and they knew that too, and so they kept her with them. One male stood near her, his young age bringing on his ignorance. Navayu didn't hesitate at all, feeling no sympathy for the beast. She was a cold-blooded killer when in pursuit or battle, and had no sympathy for anything. If it moved, was not a lion, and looked like a decent meal, she was after it.

Navayu made no sound as she became airborne, landing hard against the side of the female. The thing had not time to react and flew into the male beside her. He bolted away, one hoof impaling her kneecap. She fell just as hard as her fawn and bleated helplessly. She tried to sulk away, limping as she drug her broken, mangled leg. Navayu gave a fearsome snarl and swiped at her rear legs, deeply cutting the unbroken one. She instantly dropped and bleated once more for her commerades. But they were far off in the distance now, the lead buck knowing full well that she had no chance of survival. She just lay there in the dirt, Navayu not delivering the fatal bite just yet. She watched the female writhe and wriggle in the dirt, which was now mud thanks to mixing with her blood. Navayu crept up to her rear and bit gently into her flank, toying with her. She instantly kicked at her, Navayu dodging the blow with ease. She bit into the thigh deeper and turned her head violently fast. She tore the flesh with ease and broke the bone with a sickening snap. The gazelle again bleated, this time only faintly. Navayu stepped over her body and grasped onto her neck with her powerful jaws. She locked them in what seemed to be a death grip; tiny rivers of fresh, crimson liquid stained the corners of her mouth and trickled down her cheeks. The gazelle gurgled and coughed as blood filled its throat, flowing from it's newly torn jugulars. Small amounts of blood erupted from its flaring nostrils as it tried to breathe. Navayu snapped her head upwards, breaking the animal's neck instantly. It's leg muscles and obloquies twitched and tensed as it lay there, dead. Navayu let go of the animal's neck, muzzle completely soaked through with blood, and smiled at her victory; the tips of her teeth were bloodstained.

She stepped over the carcass and bit down on the back of its neck. She then proceeded to drag it over towards the other kill she had made, leaving a crimson trail of bloodstained grass behind her. She eventually got it there, and looked around in confusion. Kinau had disappeared.

She didn't have to long to think about it until she heard the menacing, maniacal laughter of hyenas. She looked behind her to see a pack of eight charging towards her. She quickly grabbed the fawn's carcass and drug it to her, laying it on the mother's side. She then stood protectively over her kills, glaring at them as they encircled her. All of them snarled and snickered as they studied her, knowing she would be easy to fend off. Or, at least, that's what they thought.


	5. Chapter 5: The Battle

"Hello, princess," one of them spoke, the alpha it seemed. He reclined on his haunches. He curled his tail to his side and locked gazes with her. He looked to be the most youthful of the pack, a female taking her place beside him. Navayu sighed in relief; females were so much easier to bargain with.

"I am no princess," she snapped, tightening her muscles slightly. The hyena laughed, but it's mate interrupted him.

"Then why do you invade our lands and kill off our livestock like you _are _royalty?" she hissed, voice creaky and whiny like a fairytale witches'. Navayu grimaced at the sound; it was unpleasant and _very _unwelcoming.

"Because this is not _your _land!" she said challengingly. The hyena female nodded her head, and the other 6 advanced three steps. Navayu snarled and some fell back, but regained their places almost instantly.

"And how are you to know, miss?" asked the male, tone matching hers. The female nodded, cackling sinisterly.

"These lands belong to no one," she said quietly, looking at all of them. "They have been up for grabs since the Pridelanders left the scene!" The hyena cocked a brow.

"Then I now proclaim it ours," he hissed, standing up and stepping towards her. All of the hyenas advanced, one being bold enough to leap at her. She whirled around and cracked it across the face once, sending it flying backwards. All the hyenas froze, stunned. The male laughed.

"Tough girl, eh?" he cackled, signaling for the pack to advance again. Navayu whirled around and began snapping at them, swatting with her paws as they leapt for her. She batted them off, one by one, although they only flew a few feet away and charged back. Five of them got her encircled and began to attack her, leading her slowly away from the kills, one hyena lying dead in the grass already. The male grabbed on to the gazelle's tough shoulders, the female latching onto the rear flank after tossing the fawn to the side, and both began to drag it off. One hyena looked over at the fawn in interest, ears perking as it craned its neck to look back at it. Navayu gave a deadly blow to the back of its head, and it yelped as it tumbled backwards and hit a rock. She leapt on it and began to blindly maul it, ripping at its stomach with her front claws and rear claws, and snapping at it's throat. The other pack members finally got her off of him, but grimaced when they found their fallen commerade. He was propped up against the sleet gray boulder, the wall behind him covered in blood. His tongue lolled out of his mouth loosely and two rivers of fresh blood flowed out of his nostrils and mouth. His eyes were glazed over and rolled back into his head, stomach ripped clean open, intestines hanging loosely out of his gaping wound, and his trachea was split clean in half. They backed off, still encircling her, and ceased to attack. One of them yelped, turned, and tried to flee, but Navayu leapt on him and broke his spine on impact. One of the hyenas continued to snap at Navayu, dodging her fatal blows by mere centimeters. Another latched on to her tail, and within seconds was sent flying backwards into a tree and falling dead to the ground. The remaining hyena fled to the alphas, which were still dragging the carcass slowly, but surely, off to their den.

"Shina! Damarius!" he yelped, attracting their attentions. They had looked up for the first time, seeing their small pack being massacred by the lion. At the same moment, Navayu cracked the opposing hyena across the face. The alpha male snarled and leapt towards her, snapping his jaws in mid air. She dodged his airborne assault; his canines snipping the tips of the fur on her shoulder. She whipped around and was going to attack him, but he'd already bit down on her shoulder. She roared in pain, and the way she had been attacked she couldn't hit him. She thought all was over as the female charged towards her, but out of the corner of her eye, she smiled as she saw a large shadowy figure leap towards her.

Kinau roared ferociously as he swatted the male in the stomach, sending him flying backwards. He roared as he cuffed the female across her face, sending her back as well before turning to attack the now re-standing male. The male snarled and snapped as he leapt towards him, Kinau smiling at his ignorance. He lifted his paw up in the air and cuffed the male as hard as he could in the collarbone, splitting it in various places. The hyena fell to the ground, and Kinau wasted no time delivering a fatal bite. He whirled around to attack the female, but stood in shock.

Nibanu was standing over the other female, and had already killed her. He roared as he leapt for the remaining two hyenas, both darting away with their tails tucked between their legs, yelping.

"You haven't seen the last of us!" one of them, a female, yelled back. A foursome of deep, bloody slashes were jaggedly ripped along her cheek from Navayu's swiping paws.

"Oh, come off it!" Nibanu yelled angrily, watching their retreating forms until they dissolved into the horizon. He then tuned to Kinau and Navayu. "You guys alright?" he asked, referring to both. Kinau was quite surprised; Nibanu had actually verified, and acknowledged, his presence.

"I think so," Kinau answered, looking towards Navayu. She nodded, and Kinau smiled at Nibanu. He smiled warmly back, a gesture he'd least expected.

"Good." He said softly, trotting to his sister. He glanced at the fallen hyenas and grimaced, knowing his sister's battle brutality. Kinau followed his gaze and, for the first time, noticed the various, mangled corpses.

"Someone did a little damage control," he thought aloud, smiling at Navayu. She smiled back, craning her neck to lick her wound. It was only slightly painful when she was sitting, but extremely painful when she moved.

"You've never seen my sister in a battle," Nibanu said, very seriously. Kinau nodded somberly. Nibanu crushed the humor he'd set up to dull the shock of her brutal ways.

"I see…" he said, looking around. He spotted the kill lying not to far off, the fawn also nearby. He smiled at this, too. "You brought down the mother, huh?" he said, smiling. "She should be nice n' fresh for us, then!" He trotted over and ripped off a large chunk of meat from her rear flank. He dropped it in front of Nibanu, then doubled back and got himself a portion. He then carved out the fawn's two rear flanks, and dropped them in front of Navayu. She looked up at him and smiled. "The tenderest meat is for the successful hunter," he said softly, and then returned to his spot. He plopped down on the ground and began to eat his ration.

The three lions were silent as they feasted on their meal together, thoughts racing through their minds. Kinau and Navayu were contemplating this feeling in their stomachs. Nibanu, however, was thinking about Kinau. He was starting to like him a little bit, even though he kept telling himself it was only and insignificant, almost infinitesimal portion. He thought it stood out that he'd stuck up for Navayu, and thought there might be something between them. He could never be sure, though, until they proved it to him.

After Kinau had eaten his fill, he stood up and smiled. Looking at the sky, he suddenly realized that he was supposed to be back in the den with his brother. He trotted to Navayu and smiled at her warmly.

"I have to go home," he said softly, glancing at Nibanu. "I hope your shoulder feels better." Navayu smiled and nodded. He smiled at Nibanu, who beamed back and dipped his head.

"You're all right, Kinau," he said softly, "You're all right." Kinau nodded and smiled, turning about to leave. He was about 25 feet away when Navayu called form him.

"Kinau!" she called, raising stiffly from her place and limping over to him, trying to keep her injured shoulder from moving. He froze and waited for her to reach him, the low, almost setting sun casting a golden sheen on his fur. She smiled and their eyes met as she stood in front of him. "Thanks for all your help today…" She then did something neither males expected; She nuzzled him.

Kinau froze, as did Nibanu. Both looked at each other, locking confused gazes. Kinau then nuzzled back. They did this for a short while, until Nibanu cleared his throat.

"Right," Kinau said softly, backing off. Navayu looked up.

"Oh, yeah," she said, embarrassed a bit. She smiled at him, and turned around to trot back to her brother. She smiled and looked back at him, halfway there. He smiled sheepishly back. "Goodnight," she whispered, turning around and trotting to Nibanu.

"Goodnight to you too," he whispered softly, turning around and running towards the Outlands.


	6. Chapter 6: Where Were You?

Kinau was hunched low in the grasses, corded muscles rippling silently under his pelt. He picked his way along the semi-worn path carefully, trying to make the least noise possible. He was now back in the Outlands, and knew his brother wouldn't approve of his sudden disappearance. He especially needed to keep his mouth shut about the whole nuzzling thing; this excited him to no end, but he was well aware that his brother also had an eye for Navayu.

His eyes glistened as he came to a sudden stop and reclined on his haunches, still hunched low to the ground. He studied the territory around the lake basin carefully, making absolutely sure that no one was awake. A crooked smile crept its way slowly across his muzzle; he was pleased that no one was around. He was about to step forward until four sharp pains shot through both of his shoulders.

Kinau tumbled backwards and landed facing upward, looking into the honey hued eyes of Damitra. She had dug her claws into his shoulders and raked him backwards with a mighty heave. She was another lioness in the group; she was Kinau's best friend, actually. She had dark, ebony fur with a gray hued muzzle and paws, her honey colored eyes bright in contrast to her pelt. She was looking down at him with a smile on her face; a smug smile displaying a mix of anger and shock.

"What were you doing?" she demanded in a harsh whisper, glaring at him. His expression was of pure shock. "What?" she asked, allowing him to get up.

"Damitra?" he smiled at her and nuzzled her affectionately. "Where'd you come from? I thought you ran away!" She looked down at her paws, displaying a trio of bloody slashes on her right bicep. Kinau gasped.

"Jedkin caught me," she answered softly, almost to the point where Kinau didn't hear her. But he heard it all too well. He scooted close to her and began to lick her wounds. She smiled at him. "You're still the old Kinau I remember," she said softly, laying her chin across his mane. He smiled as he licked her cuts, cleaning off the blood gently with delicate licks.

"You ran away for only a few weeks, Damitra," he said softly between licks. After he was sure the wound was sanitary, he looked back up at her, smiling.

"Your brother has cruel intentions and a cold heart, Kinau," she said, smiling. "He could morph your soul in that amount of time, and you know it." He nodded, and then collapsed on the ground with an exasperated sigh.

"I'm so tired," he said softly, closing his eyes. Damitra reclined on her haunches beside him, smiling sinisterly.

"I'd be tired too, after that nuzzling fest you had with that lioness!" He immediately shot up. Innocence splashed across his features.

"What?!" It took everything inside him to keep him from yelling. "How do you know about…" She interrupted him.

"You two were in plain sight, Kinau!" She said cockily. "I was simply passing through, glanced over, and whoa buddy!" She laughed, but Kinau remained serious.

"You can't tell Jedkin!" He demanded, "Promise?" She cocked a brow.

"Why not?" she asked. "Is there something you want to tell me?" He shook his head.

"Jedkin has already 'claimed' her," he said lowly. "He says he'll take her as queen when the plan is in motion…" Damitra nodded slowly.

"I see," she said, rising from her place in the dirt. She began to trot over to the cave. She then gestured for him to follow. "No one's awake yet," she whispered, "So you can sneak back inside. C'mon," Kinau trotted up to her and nuzzled her again.

"I'm glad your home," he said softly, smiling. She'd been his only friend since he was a cub, also admiring this 'Simba' character. They banded together, until a few weeks ago when Jedkin tried to force her into being his mate. She fled hastily, not even saying goodbye to Kinau. He was glad she was back, very glad indeed.

She nodded and smiled, both trotting into the cave. Kinau studied the floor as he sauntered to his spot, and smiled and rolled his eyes when he saw Nikka curled contentedly at Duyani's side. She was his favorite cub, always running off and getting into trouble. She opened one eye, peeked out at him, and giggled. He simply winked at her and lay in his spot, Damitra lying next to him. He sighed and closed his eyes, laying his chin on his paws. He was glad his brother was asleep, and unaware of the whole ordeal. He didn't want to make life more stressful than it already was. He soon settled into a light slumber.


	7. Chapter 7: Jedkin's Attempt

Kinau hadn't seen his brother all afternoon. He had been gone for three days, and he couldn't find him anywhere to confront him about attacking Damitra. He had just awoken from his slumber, and was standing outside of his den. He had decided against seeing Navayu today, and was more concerned about his brother's whereabouts. He knew he was up to something, but couldn't be sure of exactly what…

"M'lady…" Navayu's eyes fluttered open as she heard a deep, gruff voice. It sounded like this person had something in their mouth, but she couldn't be sure until she looked. She gazed dizzily behind her, let her vision straighten out, and smiled. Jedkin was standing over her with a single, beautiful purple flower. Its petals were sort of bowl shaped, coming to a sharp point at one end. A strip of blue ran down the middle seam of the petal, small and tiger-like stripes mixed with tiny dots centered in the strip of color. Its emerald stalk and leaves were covered with fresh dew. Navayu gasped.

"Aww, Jedkin! It's beautiful!" she cooed, taking it from him. She set it down on the top of the boulder, accidentally waking up Nibanu. He shot up in his position, but rolled his eyes when he saw Jedkin. This fool was trying to seduce his sister with flowers? 'I think not,' he thought to himself, standing up and trotting to her. He plopped on his haunches and gave him a respectable nod, but said nothing. Jedkin did the same, smiling sinisterly. 'Your time will come soon, Nibanu…' he thought silently, returning his gaze to Navayu. She was sitting, facing him, ivory teeth fully exposed in a smile. She curled her tail to her side and relaxed her shoulders a bit. Nibanu sat upright and at attention, much like a soldier; even his expression, which was locked on Jedkin, was like a soldier's lifeless and cold-hearted one. He distrusted Jedkin, and was sure it worked vice versa.

Jedkin smiled at him crookedly at Nibanu. He needed a way to 'bond' with Nibanu, or at least get him away from Navayu. He stood up and stretched, leaning his frontal half down and spreading even his toes. He then straightened himself out and walked towards the grasses where a small path could be seen. He looked back at Nibanu and smiled.

"Nibanu," he said softly, "Come with me?" Nibanu glanced at his sister, who nodded, and rolled his eyes as he stood up and walked over to him. He looked once back at Navayu with a 'Do I have to?' expression, and she laughed softly and smiled. She nodded again, and the two walked off together. The two strolled on the small path side by side, both remaining silent and keeping their gazes turned towards the ground. That is, until Jedkin cracked the silence.

"So," he said, looking up. He let his gaze dance about the savannah until it landed on the rigid and almost undefined outline of Pride Rock. He smiled and looked at Nibanu. "Have you seen Pride Rock? It's a beautiful structure…" Nibanu interrupted him.

"I've slept in it before." He said simply, not looking up. "It was late and raining, and my sister and I were soaking wet. We simply found a place and settled there." He looked up at it once, then back at the ground. "It smelled like guano and old blood."

"Touching story." Jedkin said sarcastically as they wandered up to a small stone path leading up to it. He took the lead in a regal manner, chest puffed out like the king himself. He picked his way up the path carefully, as did Nibanu, and both successfully avoided all the sharp, guttural rocks. They eventually made it on to the flat, wide rock surface that jutted out above the clearing, Jedkin running over to the edge. He smiled sinisterly as he surveyed the clearing below, eyes shimmering as they glazed over slightly.

He pictured himself standing regally in this same spot a few days from now, His followers gathered below him smiling. He pictured the hyenas being back in the Outlands where they belonged, so as not to kill off all the livestock in the Pridelands. He saw his lionesses feasting heartily on a fresh kill; His mate, Navayu, was beside him with their son between his paws, and Kinau standing on his other side. He looked out upon his kingdom with glee while Nibanu brought him a ration of the meat and called him 'Your Highness'. He could really care less if Nibanu was there or not, but it was a nice addition all the same.

"HEY!" Jedkin jumped about a foot off the ground and whirled around in a frenzy, looking all around for any danger. His eyes then settled on Nibanu, who was facing him with a look of confusion on his face. "Are you alive over there?" he asked, smiling. "I've been calling your name for a minute now!" Jedkin shook his head.

"Yeah," he said, a bit shaken. Nibanu had scared him a bit, not to mention jarred him from his pleasant frame of mind. He looked at him somewhat annoyed. "Well, what is it?"

"I wanted to know exactly why you led me up here," he said, sitting down. 'To trap you, of course!' he thought, but said nothing. Jedkin looked around as he thought of a lie.

"Erm…" he said, again turning about. "To, uh, to look at this view!" he said with a smile. "Come here lad!" Nibanu trotted over to him and looked about. He smiled over the clearing, spotting a herd of wildebeest in the distance.

"I like it up here," he said, gazing around, "It's got a nice view and a killer breeze!" Jedkin smiled sinisterly; half of him wanted to push Nibanu off. He stifled an evil laugh as he backed off a bit, turning to face the cave. He slipped into it, gazed around a second, and then returned to his spot beside Nibanu. He looked over at the distant horizon and then back at the cave's mouth again, scanning for any hyenas. He then frowned as he looked up at a cluster of dark, gray clouds hovering above.

"We should go…" he said softly, turning to leave. Nibanu looked at him as it began to pour down rain, his ivory mane loosing most of its volume and seeming to cling to his head. He shook it once, but that just made it worse, small pieces sticking out raggedly and frizzing.

"Why so?" he asked, trotting to him. "It's not like you're going to melt!" He laughed, but Jedkin seemed peeved. "What?" he asked, looking at him. "What's wrong?" Jedkin looked at him and took a pouncing stance. He kneaded the rock with his extended claws and cackled. Nibanu recoiled with fright

"I brought you up here to die!" he yelled, leaping on him. "Why would I be distraught when you're going to be out of my way?!" The two went rolling, and eventually Jedkin worked him over to the end of the rock. He then, with one hefty heave, whipped him off of it. Nibanu fell to the ground with a roar, and struck the bottom with a sickening and silencing thud. An ear splitting shatter filled the air as his spine twisted and snapped in half, all four of his legs breaking also. Jedkin looked down on him as a river of blood poured from a gigantic gash in his temple, and his ice blue eyes were glazed over in a crystal haze. Jedkin threw his head back and began to laugh maniacally, a bolt of lightening streaking across the ebony sky behind him.

"Jedkin!" Jedkin looked into Nibanu's eyes as a bolt of lightening lighted up all in its wake. He realized that he was daydreaming. He blinked a few times blankly, and Nibanu smiled. "You need to stop that," he said jokingly, taking the lead in walking back towards the clearing, "You're starting to freak me out a bit." Both of them wandered in silence for a while, until reaching the clearing. Both found, however, that Navayu had come up missing. Nibanu soon found her on the other side of the rock, fast asleep under the small overhang it provided. He smiled and nodded a good-bye to Jedkin. "It was nice to talk to you alone, you know?" he said, cuddling up to his sister and pushing her over to give him some room.

"Aye," said Jedkin, lying. "I purposefully took you up there to try to diminish some of the mystery between us." Nibanu smiled

"You're not that bad!" He said happily. "You just look intimidating, I guess!" Jedkin forced a smile.

"You too, Nibanu," he said, "You too! Hope we can do it again soon!" Nibanu nodded gleefully.

"Yes! We will!" he said happily. He then yawned and shook his head, laying it on the nape of his sister's neck. He smiled at him and closed his eyes, relaxing a bit. Jedkin smiled and turned away, walking off.

"I look forward to it…" he said softly, slipping away towards the Outlands.


	8. Chapter 8: The Meeting

Jedkin had taken a different route than usual, traveling in the opposite direction of his and Kinau's den. He, instead, ended up in an overshadowed clearing under a gigantic sausage tree. He sat directly beside the trunk where it was mostly black, and waited patiently for his company. His jade eyes were the only visible feature of his person, and both sparkled with anger.

Silently, a pair of shadowed figures slipped through the grasses towards him. They joined him under the tree, and all of them then proceeded to enter a small crack in the tree, which led to the inside of the trunk. It was a small place, but it was at least dry. He could barley see his company in the consuming darkness of the chasm. Jedkin looked at the opposing pair; his expression was a mixture of anger and disgust. Why was he even attempting to do business with these two? They were the definition of shame, to him, and he hated even looking at them. But, they were the only ones capable of killing Nibanu in secrecy, and the only ones who had a reason to at all.

The two were spotted hyenas, one a female and one a male. They were the alphas of the entire population of the Pridelands, and both knew it and bared the title proudly. The female was very pretty, as pretty as hyenas come, anyways, and the male was handsome in the same right. The female locked her dark blue eyes with Jedkin and smiled at him. She gave a courteous nod, and Jedkin did the same.

"Where were you?!" he hissed, eyes narrowing. "I had Nibanu in the exact same spot you told me to get him!" The male stood up.

"You will not take that tone with Leeana!" he snarled, "Or me! We are royalty, after all!" Jedkin bared his teeth.

"And so am I, Jake! At least, I would've been if your assassins had showed up on the dot!" Leeana snorted.

"Please you two!" she yelled, glaring at both of them, "You're acting like children!" She looked at Jedkin. "There were some things that came up, M'lord; There was nothing we could do!"

"And what were those things, Leeana? Hmm?!" he demanded. Jacobi gave him a dirty look.

"Leeana was the leader of the assault, Jedkin!" He said angrily, "But she went into labor! If you remember correctly, we lost our chief assassins, Damarius and Shina, to your so called 'target' four days ago! There was no one to lead the attack!" Jedkin stood up and began to pace around.

"And _why _couldn't you have led them, Jake?" he said harshly, eyes locking with Jacobi's brown ones. Jacobi glared at him.

"My mate went into _labor _Jedkin! What do you not understand?!" he yelled, "I would like to witness my children's birth!" He then smiled. "Oh, pardon me, I forgot! You don't know what it's like to have children, do you?" Jedkin narrowed his eyes. "That may be because you need to force your mate into loving you!" Jedkin leapt on him and cuffed him across the face. Jacobi yelped softly, but pushed Jedkin off of him. Leeana grabbed hold of Jedkin's ear and tore a large chunk out of it, and Jedkin finally ceased attack. He backed up and looked at the two, blood running in a small river down and around his eye. Leeana helped Jacobi up and snorted at Jedkin. There was a minute of awkward silence between them, and then Jedkin sliced it in half.

"Get your men prepared, Jacobi, because we may be able to catch him off guard and…"

"Whoa!" Jacobi interrupted Jedkin with a loud yell. "There is no _we_ anymore, Jedkin. Our business is done and over with." He glared at Jedkin while his cheek bled from the one cut Jedkin managed to deliver. He then led Leeana out of the trunk and both ran off into the night. Jedkin watched the two disappear into the underbrush. He sighed, laying one paw over his eyes.

"UHG!" he snorted, patting the small fire with his paw to put it out. He then looked out over the savannah, and monitored the sky. It was completely black now, and raining hard as the wind whipped the rain drops back and forth. "Why should I even bother?" he thought aloud, talking about attempting to get home before nightfall. It was only the afternoon, but he'd have to stop and rest every now and then or he would catch his death. He simply curled into a ball, laid his tail over his nose, and fell asleep.

Meanwhile, Navayu and Nibanu were huddled close together under the rock's overhang when Kinau found them. He crouched low and managed to squeeze his frontal half under the overhang, and smiled at the two. His mane covered his eyes in a matted tangle.

"You guys cold?" he joked, seeing both of them shiver. Nibanu glared at him, but then both giggled at his joke. "Follow me." he said softly, walking off. Both followed, and all three ended up at the Dark Legion's den. They slipped through the doorway after Kinau didn't spot Jedkin. The other lionesses flooded around them, chattering softly and welcoming them. You'd never guess they were the Dark Legion; all of them were so friendly and caring. As a matter of fact, they weren't the original Dark Legion, but the descendants of the actual lions. The only one in their pride who actually hated Simba was Jedkin. But, then again, Jedkin hated EVERYONE. Kinau took his perch atop the small elevation of stone that he usually slept on and began to speak.

"Quiet down, now, you guys," he said with a mother-like quality. All the lionesses smiled and sat on their haunches and looked up at him. All of them liked Kinau. Jedkin was just a dictator that they had to follow, or else be punished by his wicked temper. He lost it more often than not, so it was safer just to act like they despised both of the brothers. So, they never showed it except when he wasn't around. "This is Nibanu and his sister Navayu," he said, smiling. "It's raining harder than hell outside and I think they should bunk with us for the night. Is that alright?"

"As long as I get to sleep by Nibanu," one of the lionesses said jokingly. She scooted closer to him, and he smiled at her. Then everyone giggled a bit.

"Only if can meet this Navayu!" Damitra appeared from the rear of the group. Kinau stifled a gasp and rolled his eyes. 'Great,' he thought lying down. Damitra laughed and everyone began to lie down. Nibanu was swamped by all the other lionesses, and Navayu giggled as she proceeded to lie next to Kinau and snuggle up to him. She laid her head on his front legs, which were extended out in front of him, and sighed. She was so contented that moment. Kinau smiled and laid his head on the nape of her neck, and whispered softly.

"G'night Navayu," he said happily, eyes fluttering close, "Sweet dreams." Navayu smiled. Could she be in love?

"You too, Kinau," she said softly, and both fell asleep. Damitra smiled at the two. She now saw why both nuzzled for such a long time. 'They're in love,' she thought as she lay on Kinau's other side, 'And they don't even know it…'


	9. Chapter 9: The Date

Kinau slowly opened his eyes, blinking a few times before yawning widely. He licked his lips lazily and attempted to get up, not realizing that Navayu wasn't there. He looked at the spot she'd previously slept in, and gasped when he didn't see her. He did a mad dash for the entrance of the cave, whipping out of it and around the corner to stand on top of it. He surveyed the surrounding land, eyes narrowed, until seeing two faint outlines in a faraway lake. He leapt off of the roof to the den and sprinted there, chest heaving as he leapt through the undergrowth. His heart raced, adrenaline pumping through him. It could be Jedkin, and he could've found Navayu sleeping with him. If that was the case there'd be hell to pay, which was for certain…

"Navayu!" Kinau leapt through the bushes with a heave. He'd bared his teeth, and was in attack-ready position. He soon relaxed, seeing Damitra with her instead of Jedkin. Both froze and looked at him, their fur sagging as the water weighed it down. Navayu then giggled and leapt on Damitra, both going under and surfacing with laughter. Kinau just smiled and shook his head.

"Get in here you big lug!" Damitra called cockily. Kinau glared at her with a smile.

"Yeah! Get over here!" Navayu joined. "Let's go!" He laughed and charged into the water, going under before surfacing next to Navayu. He smirked as he pushed her under, leaping for Damitra. The three wrestled for quite some time before exiting the water and lying out on a large rock. Kinau rested between the pair, all three of them lying on their backs contentedly. He and Navayu kept glancing at each other, although they pretended to be asleep. Damitra was fast asleep when Kinau snuck off into the brush, followed by Navayu with a few soft giggles. The two trotted beside each other in unison, traveling back towards the den.

"Have you been to Pride Rock?" Kinau asked, smiling. He was thinking about maybe taking her up there, sort of like a date. He remembered Damitra and him talking about it the night before, when both Navayu and Nibanu were asleep.

"You've got it bad," Damitra said tauntingly, smiling. Her and Kinau were both sitting together at the end of the cave, just below the overhang of the mouth. The young king had woken up during a rather tough time in the gale outside, and Damitra had as well. With the wind whistling past the opening to the den and the rain beating down, both found it impossible to sleep. Kinau smiled at her and shook his head.

"I do not!" he insisted, glaring playfully at her. Damitra rolled her eyes.

"PLEASE! I've seen the way you two look at each other, how your eyes seem to glitter when one of you mentions the other's name, and let's not forget your little nuzzling fit the other day!" Kinau smirked.

"That doesn't mean anything…" he said, placing his head on his paws. Damitra cocked a brow and grinned cockily.

"Really now? Kinau, do you even know what love feels like?" He looked at her as his smile disappeared.

"No, Danni, I don't…" He looked at her somberly and then rested his head on his paws again. Her smile lost its cocky luster and shifted to a kinder, more mild one.

"With a brother like Jedkin, I'm not so surprised…" she mumbled before placing her paw on his. He looked up into her eyes as she explained it to him. "Do you remember your mother, Kinau?" He nodded a 'yes', and she smiled. "Do you remember the feeling she gave you when she held you close and coddled you? Or when she let you cuddle with her on those rainy nights?" The mention of these memories brought a smile to appear on Kinau's muzzle as he smiled and nodded again. "That feeling is what love is," she said. "Do you feel like this when Navayu's around?" He shook his head 'no', and she gave him a cocky look. "Do you HONESTLY think I'm going to believe that?!" He laughed.

"It's not entirely the same as what I felt for mother, but yes." he said, picking his head up and smiling. She smiled back at him. "So the warm, safe feeling I get when I'm with her is love?" Damitra nodded with a smile. "Well what can I do, Danni? Jedkin's already 'claimed' her, and I think he really likes her." Damitra shook her head.

"If he 'claimed' her that states that he views her as property, and just lusts for her. But you, Kinau, you _love _her! That's totally different, and totally right! No matter what your brother says, don't let him control your emotions. If you truly love her, you'll tell her or at least hint at it until she's ready." Kinau smiled. He'd always felt that way about Damitra, but it was different in the same manner as his love for his mother. They were close to being siblings. It was so soothing to talk to her, and she always knew just what to say. He was glad she was so close to him.

"What should I do, Danni?" he asked, flicking his tail once. Damitra glanced over at Pride Rock, then smiled and looked back at him.

"Take her there," she said. "And tell her. She'll enjoy it, sort of like a date." He nodded and they both retreated back into the cave, snuggling down in their spots once more.

"Yes," Navayu answered, snapping Kinau out of his frame of mind. "I have, actually. My experience wasn't that pleasant, though…" Kinau nodded.

"Oh," he said, looking at the ground. Navayu stopped.

"But I'd love to go again!" she said, smiling. Kinau nodded and smiled back as they passed the cave. Both laughed softly as they looked in and spotted Nibanu, sleeping with all the lionesses peacefully. They were all cuddled up together, one even lying over him. Navayu chuckled. "He always wants the attention of the females…" she joked. Both laughed and continued down the path that Jedkin had lead Nibanu down. They chatted and giggled as they went, both smiling sheepishly and glancing at each other. They finally arrived, both climbing carefully up the steeper side and hoisting themselves up on the flat rock. Navayu gasped, looking around at the place. It was very pretty this early time in the day, the first rays of the sun pooling on the rock's surface and glittering. Navayu rushed into the cave where she explored a bit, Kinau smiling and following. Navayu came back out and trotted over to the edge of the rock, looking down over the clearing and out at the horizon. "Wow…" she whispered, sitting on her haunches and viewing all the sights. Kinau just grinned, looking at how the sun glittered off her fur and made her look like gold. She turned and looked at him, smiling. "What?" He shook his head.

"Nothing. I just thought you looked beautiful with the light shadowing you like that." Navayu smiled sheepishly.

"Oh," she said, looking down embarrassedly. If she was human, her cheeks would've been bright red. Kinau came and sat by her, curling his tail to his side and sighing. "Beautiful, isn't it?" she asked, smiling. He looked at her.

"Yeah," he said, looking deep into her eyes. "Beautiful…" Navayu blinked a few times, her smile slowly disappearing as she got lost deeper in his gaze. Soon, the two found their noses pressed together affectionately, both in a dream-like state. They stayed together, noses glued with a force that seemed unbreakable for what seemed like hours. But the faint whistle of the wind and the distant trumpeting of an elephant reminded both that time still existed.

Kinau gasped, ripping his nose away from her and looking at her surprised.

"OH!" Navayu laughed softly and looked at the ground for a few moments. She looked up at Kinau when his voice flooded her mind.

"Navayu, there's something I need to tell you." She looked up at him, hopeful of what he was going to say. "Navayu I think….I think…." He paused and sighed before looking straight at her. "I think I love you."

Navayu was awestruck. Half of her was trying not to scream out in joy, the other half preventing her from leaping on him in the same manner. Both sides eventually gave in, though, and she squealed as she leapt on him. The two went rolling, both giggling. They stopped rolling near the mouth of the cave, Kinau ending up pinned under her. They laughed until Navayu licked him on the cheek, and he froze momentarily. But he soon smiled and returned the favor, both nuzzling affectionately. She then got off of him, and both sat next to each other at the tip of Pride Rock. They cuddled close, Navayu resting her head on his chest. He closed his eyes and sighed happily, Navayu doing the same.

"I've been dying to tell you the same, Kinau," she whispered faintly, Kinau smiling in relief. "But I was just so afraid because I thought you'd reject me for my feelings…" Kinau smiled at her.

"Now why would I do that?" he asked, smiling. Navayu sighed.

"It's all Misha's fault…" she mumbled, trying not to let Kinau hear.

"Who's Misha?" he asked, looking down at her. She shook her head, changing the topic as quick as she could.

"Never mind her," she said. "Let's just look at this view!" Kinau shrugged and snuggled closer, both watching the sun climb higher and higher into the sky.

Way far off in the distance, Damitra smiled as she gazed at them. Although they were simple, tiny dots, she could tell they were cuddling. She'd heard them sneak off, but had simply ignored it. She sighed and smiled, running to catch up with the lionesses as they left the cave to hunt. Nibanu was in the lead, all of them forming a sort of train. Damitra glanced at them once, smiled, and then continued on her way. But, off in the distance, a pair of wandering eyes had been widened in anger. These were the wandering eyes Jedkin.

Without a word, Jedkin ran in a full sprint towards Pride Rock. His heart pounded against his ribcage in rage, and he was trying his best not to roar in anguish. How could his brother deceive him like that?! He gritted his teeth together and kept on running, reaching the monument within minutes. He leapt up on the flat surface, ready to fight, but only to discover both of them gone. He growled under his breath once and stepped to the edge, spotting them in the distance. He tried his best not to throw his head back and roar in uncontained rage, but instead bolted in another direction. He was running for the acclaimed Elephant Graveyard, the place where the hyenas dwelled. There was no question now. They would work for him…work for him or die.


	10. Chapter 10: The Confrontation

Jedkin padded silently towards the Elephant Graveyard, snorting and bickering under his breath. His ebony nails scraped the soil softly as he trudged towards the edge, leaping over an idle tusk that blocked the entrance to the caverns. He trotted around until seeing a small opening, but big enough for him to get into. He only went halfway in, leaving his head in shadowed secrecy. He gazed around silently, trying to find the one thing he was looking for.

Moonlight and green shadows danced everywhere. At least 30 hyenas were scattered about, some lying on outcroppings that rose up the cavern's gorge and some lying on the ground sleeping. A few of them barked and grunted, attacking each other for a small scrap of zebra hide that lay behind them. The smell was putrid, seemingly burning Jedkin's nostrils as he grimaced. He slunk along the shadows in the corner, only one hyena scenting him. He coaxed it into the shadows by growling softly to peak the mutt's interest. As soon as it was in the darkness, he killed it and tossed it over to the side, hoping to distract the rest of them. But much to his surprise, and disgust, they raced over to actually _eat _one of their own. He grimaced and continued to trot forward, soon spotting what he'd been looking for….Jacobi's pups.

He lay in waiting for Leeana to rise from her place with them and trot off to see what all the commotion was. It was most likely because of the feeding frenzy they were having, but Jedkin didn't care. At this moment, all he cared about was those pups. He slunk over to the small, nest like structure silently and peered inside, eyes glittering. There were five of them in total, all snuggled up together. They looked nothing like their parents at all. They were just simple, tiny balls of gray fuzz. He'd previously wanted to kill them, but looking at them stumbling waywardly around made him decide to hold them hostage instead. But anymore than that, their helpless appearance did not soften his emotions any; he was too angry. Jedkin smiled as he gently picked one up, a little female, and smiled with malice as he trudged off. He slipped past the feeding frenzy and silently picked his way to the highest point in the cavern. It was on top of a large sliver of broken rock that rose jaggedly up about 63 feet above them all.

"Oh Jacobi!" he yelled in a wife-like manner. Jacobi looked around and then up, snarling as he spotted him. He went to climb to him, but froze in horror. "Ah ah ah," Jedkin said tauntingly, holding one of his pups by the scruff of it's neck over the edge of the rock, "I wouldn't do that Jakey-boy! It might end in consequences you _definitely _don't want!" Leeana began to cry, shaking helplessly. Every one of them was now looking upward, fretting for the small bundle. Jacobi backed up, Jedkin placing her back on the rock.

"Name your terms, Jedkin!" he yelled. Jedkin smiled evilly.

"That's better!" he said with a smile. "Your pack will help me take over Pride Rock, like previously known, and you will kill Nibanu…and my brother!" Leeana looked up.

"Your brother?!" she yelled, hot tears streaking down her face. "I thought you said he was taking over with you!" Jedkin snarled.

"All that's changed now! What I say goes without question, or little miss pup will meet a very unclean end!" Leeana gasped.

"No!" she wailed, "You can't do that!"

"Oh but I can!" he yelled triumphantly. "And that's the beauty of it! You will all work for me…work or both of them shall perish!" Jacobi snarled up at him.

"Get out of here you idiot!" he yelled angrily, teeth bared menacingly. "We'll do what you want, but just go!" Jedkin smiled down at him.

"I think not, Jacobi!" He snorted with another sinister smile. "I will be the one shouting out commands here, not you! We will attack at first light, when they are least suspecting it. We must first distract Navayu, the lioness, and then your men will take her by force. Next thing, we'll kill Nibanu. While you're at it, why don't you just slaughter my brother as well?" Leanna looked confused, but said nothing, her eyes never leaving from her tiny pup's figure. "Is that crystal?" He asked, all the hyenas nodding solemnly. He then smiled at them all. "Good…" He grabbed the two pups in his mouth and stalked towards their makeshift crib, but suddenly realized something. If he let them back, the hyena clan would rebel. But, if he kept them, they wouldn't touch him. His thoughts were cluttered to an untimely end by the chatter of various voices.

"But that Nibanu character," one of them shouted, "killed Shina and Damarius right?" Another gasped.

"That's right! What if he kills all of us, too?"

"SILENCE!" All the hyenas fell quiet as Jacobi snarled at them. "We are going to work for Jedkin, like it or not!" He ordered. "I will not let my pups die because of your fear!" Jedkin smiled warmly at him for a brief second. Jacobi had a heart, after all. But Jedkin soon just kept going, on towards his den. He then froze, and thought otherwise. Instead, he headed towards the sausage tree and, after setting the pups down, lit a small fire. He grabbed dry grass with his mouth and made another nest-like structure for them, setting them in it gently. He then, seeing that they were asleep, slunk off towards his den.

Kinau, The Lionesses, Nibanu, Navayu, and Damitra were outside the den, wrestling, chatting, and having a great time. Kinau was cuddled up with Navayu in a corner, both just smiling and flirting. Navayu smiled at her brother, who was doing the same with Damitra.

"Wow," she said softly, smiling at him. "I think he likes her." Kinau rolled his eyes.

"Durr!" He said jokingly, nuzzling her. She giggled.

"No, but it's a great thing! He's been a little mistrusting since Misha did what she did." Kinau looked at her.

"Speaking of which, you never told me who this 'Misha' was." He said to her. "You simply ignored my question." Navayu's warm expression turned colder than ice in a split second.

"It was Nibanu's old mate," she began, occasionally glancing over at him, "before we came here. She was part of a large pride, but decided to run away and join us. She was really nice, at first, but then she gradually became cranky, mean, and downright spiteful. We'd noticed she'd been slipping off lately, and I found her with another lion. I heard them talking, and found out that she'd been planning to use Nibanu for a while and, while he was busy, kill off the rest of her old pride for the other lion. He was the alpha of another pride, and was planning to keep her as his mate after killing the other pride for their land. She'd also already had cubs with the other lion, and was planning to kill me and Nibanu. I was furious! I ran to tell him, but he didn't believe me. He loved her so much, he was oblivious to her intentions. But I warned the other lions, and they put up a good fight. A few days later, she cornered him and tried to kill him. He told her that he loved her and didn't want to hurt her, and kept repeating this even after she'd beaten him bloody and had him half-dead. He simply refused to hurt her. She was above him, paw on his throat, when I found them. I was shifting, ready to pounce when I heard him talk. He tried to tell her again, and this time she laughed out loud. 'You idiot!', she screamed with malice, 'I never loved you! I used you for a distraction, that's all! You're simply an insignificant little cretin who got in my way!' Nibanu shook his head, crying and not believing her. That's when I pounced…" A tear rolled down her cheek from her flooded eyes. Kinau licked it off and nuzzled her affectionately, gripped by her story.

"So what happened?" he asked, quite interested. Navayu sniffled once, and looked up at him.

"I hit her in the side, and we went rolling. I didn't even let her get up. I simply mauled her, not looking down, or at the horrified expression on my brother's face. She screamed and roared, but I just kept ripping. I eventually ended up making her look like that zebra over there." Kinau looked at the zebra they'd killed earlier, and grimaced. The zebra itself had no entrails, and was mutilated to the point where it didn't even look like an animal…or anything that had ever lived, for that matter. "After she stopped wriggling, I pushed her off the edge of the cliff we were on, and then nosed her insides off after. I turned to look at Nibanu, but he stopped breathing. He said I was unlike anything he'd ever seen. He told me, later on, that I was covered in blood, and it was dripping off of me in rivers…he said he'd never seen me like that before." She wriggled out of Kinau's grasp and stepped over to a corner, looking out over the desolate savannah. Only a few creatures stirred as the sun became blocked by a multitude of dark gray clouds, the land under it blurry due to the falling rain. A small streak of lightening flashed across the sky, and she hung her head. "I'm such a brutal killer!" She began, starting to cry and whine. "I doubt you'd want to start a family anytime soon, due to my past. But I understand totally if you don't want to be with…"

"WHOA!" Kinau stopped her short, trotting to her side. "Your past means nothing to me! Well, it does, but I mean what you did wrong has no effect on my feelings. I love you, Navayu; that's all there is to it." She smiled at him as He snuggled up again to her, licking her once between the eyes. She sniffled and sighed, licking his cheek. She glanced over at Damitra and Nibanu, who seemed to like each other. She smiled; he was giving her the look he gave Misha.

Jedkin was hiding in the grasses, watching Kinau and Navayu with hateful eyes. How could his brother do such a thing?! His green eyes glittered as he took a step forward, crunching a small piece of dry grass. Kinau's ears perked up and he looked over at the brush, straight into his brother's eyes. He gasped quietly, and then looked around in a panic. He knew Jedkin would be angry, and he knew for sure there would be a fight. He soon froze and looked at the tip of his nose as a single raindrop hit it. Then another, and another, until it was pouring down rain. He sighed, relieved.

"Let's go inside, everyone," he said loudly, everyone nodding and trekking into the cave. Navayu looked up at him, and he smiled. "That means you too, love." She nodded and wandered to Nibanu's side, and both went in together. Kinau then turned to say something to his brother, but he was already in the air.

Jedkin landed hard against Kinau, knocking his bother back and watching him roll. Kinau stood up dizzily and shook off, Jedkin again lunging on him. He dug his claws into his brother's shoulder blades, pulling hard on the scruff of his neck. Kinau, gasping for air, roared and somersaulted, crushing his bother under his weight. Jedkin groaned, and Kinau cuffed him across the face. Jedkin roared in pain, cheek bloodied a bit, and leapt up, the two rolling again. He managed to tear a cut in the bridge of Kinau's nose, but that was the only damage done before they broke free of each other. They circled each other, both glaring and panting. Jedkin broke the silence.

"How could you betray me, brother?!" He demanded harshly. Kinau bared his teeth, especially sharp canines glistening.

"Betray you?!" he yelled, snarling a bit. "Navayu loves me, and I love her! There is nothing you can do to stop that!" Jedkin growled lowly.

"I already claimed her for my queen, Kinau!" he yelled back, matching his brother's tone and pitch almost perfect. "You knew that!" Kinau snorted.

"You claimed her like a piece of property, brother! She is one of us, not something you can buy!" Jedkin roared.

"That means nothing! I love her!"

"No! You love her _beauty_!" Jedkin glared at him.

"How could anything love such a wretched, disgraceful creature like you, anyway?! You're pitiful; A weakling!" Kinau smiled sinisterly at him.

"She loves me for me, brother. But you'll never know what it's like, now will you? That is, Considering you have to force all the females you have an eye for into loving such an idiot!" Jedkin snarled and leapt at him again, this time actually delivering a wound as he tore open his shoulder. Both fought with extreme viciousness and persistence, until both were too weak to go on. Kinau glared at him, limbs quivering, as he tried to stay standing. He was soaked in blood and rain, most coming from the gigantic gash in his shoulder. Jedkin was standing with some difficulty, babying his front left leg to which Kinau had delivered a cut quite like the one on his shoulder. Both were also covered in other small cuts, and were extremely sore. Jedkin, gathering all his strength, went to charge, but froze as Nibanu appeared beside Kinau. He too bared his teeth and snarled.

"Get out of here, you rat!" he roared, snapping at him. Jedkin glared at the two. He tried to resist by swiping at him, but Nibanu caught Jedkin's arm in his mouth and bit down. Jedkin howled in pain, but backed away a bit.

"This isn't over, Kinau!" he yelled sternly, turning to retreat into the grass. He slunk off, limping a bit, and the two watched until he was out of sight. Nibanu turned to Kinau and smiled.

"You alright?" he asked, smiling compassionately. Kinau smiled back.

"I…I guess so," he muttered. Nibanu trotted past him a bit.

"Let's go inside," he said softly, "And get you cleaned up." Kinau nodded and went to follow, but collapsed after his first step. Nibanu helped him up and gave him support until they were inside. All the lionesses were chatting happily when they got inside, Navayu breaking the mood.

"Oh my God! Kinau!" She rushed over to him, concerned. She began to lick his wounds, trying not to cry. "What happened?!" she demanded between licks. Damitra and the others were at his side within and instant. All of them were asking questions and Kinau again collapsed. Navayu snarled. "Give him some room!" she demanded fiercely, the rest of the lionesses backing away. She lay down next to him, nuzzling him and licking him affectionately. He smiled at her, using what little strength he had left.

"I'm fine…" he whispered between scattered breaths. "It's gonna be okay…" Navayu laid her head on his paws, crying, and he rested his head on hers . Tears stained her cheeks as they flooded from her eyes. Then, without notice, Kinau passed out.


	11. Chapter 11: Broken Trust

Navayu had a sleepless night. She tried to sleep, but was kept awake by the rough, scattered breathing of her mate. After about two hours of this, and trying not to cry, she got up and began pacing around. She just started at the ground as a few tears rolled off her face and crashed to the floor silently, walking back and forth without a word. She would occasionally glance up at Kinau, then at Nibanu, but soon eventually gave up. She padded outside and trotted over towards the grasses, slipping through them without a glance behind her. She walked for a while, sniffling, until she began to scream and wail, when she picked up speed and eventually broke into a gallop. She made her way to Pride Rock, and climbed up it quickly, running to the edge. She then collapsed, falling hard against the rock with a loud thump. She began to cry some more, gasping for air between wails. She eventually got a bit of control over herself, and stopped yelling. She rolled over on her back to stare up at the starless sky, moon simply an icy sliver above her.

Why was everyone betraying her? Misha, Now Jedkin! Her body shook as she thought about it, especially what effect this would have on her brother. She had a flashback to the day before, earlier in the day before all of this happened. She and Nibanu had been talking quietly outside, before anyone had woken up.

"I'm so happy for you," Nibanu said, nuzzling her head. She smiled, straightening the hair he'd pricked up with his nose by patting it with her paw.

"Thanks," she said, licking his cheek. "I'm happy, too."

"Now I just have to get over the fact that I gotta give you up, eh?" She smiled at him.

"You're not my father, Nibanu..." she said quietly. He smiled down at her.

"We never knew our father, Navayu," he said softly with a smile, "So someone had to be overprotective!" She leaned against him.

"Yeah, guess so!" she agreed with a laugh. "Now we've just got to find _you _someone…" Nibanu's heart skipped a beat.

"You know how hard that'll be…" he whispered solemnly.

"Yeah, but I'm up for it! Besides, I saw the way you look at Damitra!" He smiled sheepishly down at her. She giggled. "I'm right, aren't I!" He laughed, and she nuzzled him. "You two _are_ cute together!"

"Yeah, well, I really do like her, I guess…" he admitted. "But I wanted to tell you that I fully approve of Kinau." Navayu gasped and looked up at him.

"Seriously?!" she asked, excited beyond description. Nibanu nodded, and his sibling leapt on him with a screech. He laughed as they tumbled around, landing next to each other. "Thanks Nibbi…" she said softly, using the nickname she usually called him. "I know how hard it must be for you to trust again." He smiled and locked gazes with her.

"I think he's right for you," he said seriously, "and I like him myself. I wouldn't mind him being my brother." She smiled, and the two got up and trotted back into the cave. It was still quite early, so both simply fell back asleep.

She gulped loudly as she stared back at the moon, breath shuddering as she tried to breathe normal again. She wiped her eyes with the back of her paw, laying both on her chest. She then rolled over and sighed, eyes fluttering shut. She'd exhausted herself by crying that hard, and soon fell asleep.

Navayu was awoken sometime later, around dawn, by a paw softly tapping her shoulder. She sat up and looked around, spotting her brother when she turned around.

"Oh Nibanu," she said softly, rolling over to face him. He laid next to her with a plop, and laid his head on his paws.

"You okay?" he asked, knowing full well something was wrong. She shook her head, copying his position.

"Not really…" she said quietly, looking out at the gray horizon. "Everything feels like it's my fault…" Nibanu nuzzled her.

"Nothing that happened was your fault," he said softly, smiling. "You did nothing. Jedkin just simply decided to, well," He tried to think of an easier way to put it, but his sister interrupted him.

"To try and kill his brother." Nibanu looked at her sympathetically. "I know that whole ordeal." A crystalline tear rolled down her cheek. Nibanu looked out to where she was, scooting close to her.

"I'm so sorry," he said, trying himself not to cry as well. It killed him to see his sister like this. She was all he was concerned about now, not Damitra or Kinau. All his thoughts were focused on her.

"It's not your fault," she said simply, glancing at him briefly. He changed the subject.

"Why were you up here today?" he asked, looking at her. She shrugged, looking at him with emotionless eyes.

"Just couldn't sleep, so I wandered." She said, monotone. She got up, licking her lips silently before descending the landform. Nibanu followed silently, eyes fixed on her like an obedient puppy. She padded over to a large puddle, where rain had collected, and began to lap up the liquid. She then padded off into the grasses and to a small hole, digging in it with her paw. She then brought it out and shook it, a small scratch on her palm pad. Growling softly and dug vigorously, soon exposing a rather plump rabbit which she then killed. She tossed it to Nibanu, who carefully divided the meat in half. The both then ate, still silent.

"Navayu," Nibanu spoke softly and gently to his sibling. She looked up at him, then back down at her meal as she ate more.

"Hmm?" she mumbled, chewing on a small piece of hide.

"Damitra and I were talking, and, erm, well…" Navayu looked up.

"Really?" she asked, starting to crack a smile. He nodded.

"We're thinking about getting together," he whispered, Navayu smiling at him happily.

"I'm glad!" she said, her usual, cheeky tone starting to blend in with her dreary mood. He nodded, and she nuzzled him. Both then ripped a large chunk out of the rabbit's quads, and began to eat again.

Nibanu suddenly stopped chewing, folding his ears back as he looked up. He scanned their surroundings with his keen vision, and soon spotted two slinking black figures in the grass. He rose from his place and trotted through the grasses towards them, his sister looking up at him in confusion. After he was about thirty feet off, she heard him gasp faintly as he wheeled around.

"NAVAYU!" he yelled, horrified, "GET OUT OF HERE! NOW!"

"What is it?!" she demanded, but only had limited time to speak as she was encircled by hyenas. She gasped once, and then roared as she knocked a few back and took off through the gap it had made. She ran, full sprint, towards the den in the Outlands, her brother soon breaking through the barricade and joining her. Both ran in unison, legs pounding the dirt vigorously as they kicked up tiny puffs of smoke. Navayu looked behind her, and screamed at what she saw. There were hyenas everywhere, like a gigantic band of blurred brown and black colors. They snapped and yipped, laughing in their malicious way as they all trailed behind them. There were no less than twenty, and they weren't giving up easily. She grunted and pushed herself harder, her bother doing the same.

"C'mon men! Move yer' hides!" one of them yelled, a male with a deep, gruff voice. With a few laughs, all of them picked up a bit of speed. They were no match for the twins though, as they ran full tilt. Navayu hung her head as they ran, Nibanu's tongue lolling out of his mouth as they seemed to fly.

"Navvi…" Nibanu whispered between pants, clenching his eyes shut as he was getting pains in his legs and thighs. She looked at him, grunting to recognize that he had spoke. "I'm not so sure I can keep this up…" he put strain on the last word, eyes fluttering as he tried to keep going. Navayu looked around, tired as well, trying to find a way out. She then gasped happily as a semi-large black dot stood on the horizon.

"Damitra!" she yelled excitedly, grabbing Nibanu's attention. He too looked up and yelled happily. Navayu pushed herself and ran faster, gaining about ten feet on her brother. "Damitra!" she yipped again, laughing for joy. Damitra yelled something, but neither caught it. As they approached her a bit closer, she repeated it. Nibanu was the only one to hear it, however.

"Navayu!!!!!" Nibanu screamed, his sister looking back. "The riverbed!" But it was too late.

With a scream Navayu tumbled over the edge of the riverbed. It was no easy fall, either. The walls were lined with jagged rocks near the top, blunt at the bottom, and the actual bed of the river about twenty feet down. Luckily she missed the sharper rocks, but she fell hard on the blunt ones, screaming as she hit one and knocked the wind out of herself. She whacked her head on a rock near the bottom, hitting the ground with a sickening thud. Nibanu gasped, and yelled her name as he leapt over the riverbed, which was fifteen feet across. He landed on the other edge, claws gripping the ground above it as his body hit the wall loudly. He groaned, pulling himself up with Damitra's help. He then collapsed on the other side, but spent no time scrambling to his feet. He ran over to the edge, stumbling as he skidded to a halt over near the edge.

"Navayu!" he called, horrified. His sister lay in a small pool of blood, battered body cut in various places. She didn't even budge. "Navvi!" he called again, still getting no reaction. He called her name one final time when she raised her head with a soft grunt, looking around dizzily. She was bleeding slightly from a small gash above her eye, the blood running down and soaking her cheek. Her eyes seemed foggy as she looked up at him once. "Are you alright?!" he demanded, ready to jump down to her aid. She just sighed as her head hit the ground again, signifying that she had passed out. "NO!!!!!!!" Nibanu yelled helplessly, ready to leap to her. But the hyenas had already followed her into the pit, gripping her with their teeth as they began to drag her off towards Pride Rock. Nibanu roared in anguish, a sound that made Damitra shake. He whipped around and ran past her, ignoring her shocked glance. She'd seen his face and knew it. For the first time in his life since his mother's death, Nibanu was crying.


	12. Ch 12: We're Going To Skin Him Alive

Nibanu trudged back and forth outside of the den, scowling as he panted angrily. He paced a few times before roaring as he leapt on a toad. He dug his teeth into it and shook it viciously, roaring through clenched teeth. The small amphibian was soon mangled beyond identification, and Nibanu threw it to the side, grimacing at the disgusting taste in his mouth. He trotted over to the pond nearby and gulped down mouthfuls, dispersing the nasty taste slightly, until it was gone. _Next time you're angry, _he thought to himself, _Don't take it out on a toad! _He, still teeming, trudged back towards the den.

"Nibanu?" He looked up into the sparkling eyes of Kinau as he stepped into his sight. Kinau was smiling, pearlescent canines exposed, but the warm expression soon dissipated when he saw Nibanu's cold expression. "What's going on?" he asked somberly.

"Navayu was…" Kinau interrupted him.

"Not here this morning? Yeah, I know. But don't worry about it! She's probably just of hunting or something…" Nibanu glared at him.

"You don't get it do you, you imbecile?!" Kinau glared at him.

"What's _your_ problem?!" he demanded, trying not to raise his voice.

"Your brother's allied with the hyenas," Nibanu said lowly collapsing on his haunches, voice returning to normal volume although it remained cold and monotone.

"How do you know?" Kinau asked, voice also loosing its angry luster. Nibanu looked dead straight into his eyes, dry from his tears.

"They took Navayu, Kinau…" Kinau's heart skipped a beat. He was too shocked, at first, to even blink or exhale, but when he did his expression turned to one of pure hatred. In fact, he looked a bit like his brother.

"No! It can't be! That bastard!" Kinau snarled to the open air, not yelling at Nibanu but seemingly at the earth itself. He pounded his paw against the earth, leaving a small imprint, even though it hurt him. He still was weak from his injuries, and was sure his brother was too, but he didn't care. Without a word he lunged forward, ready to sprint off into the grasses, forgetting all about his injured shoulder. With a roar of agony, he crashed to the ground as his front limbs collapsed along with his entire body. He groaned, pushing himself back up, and trying to take another step. With another thud, he hit the dirt with a moan. Nibanu trotted to his side.

"Stop, Kinau…" he said softly, placing a paw on his shoulder. Kinau nudged it off forcefully and tried to stand again, but snarled as Nibanu forced him down. "Stop I said!" he snarled demandingly. "You're too weak, Kinau! You're going to kill yourself!" Kinau bared his teeth when he looked at Nibanu, but soon sighed and shook his head.

"You're right, Nibanu. It's really no use," he said as Nibanu helped him up and into the cave. The two lay on the upraised rock at the rear, sunlight filtering in through the mouth so they had just enough light to see.

"Sorry," Nibanu said honestly, laying his head on his paws, "for my actions. I shouldn't have jumped down your throat like that." Kinau shook his head.

"Forget it," he said simply, staring at Pride Rock with glittering eyes. Nibanu looked at him.

"We'll get him, Kinau…" he assured him as he too gazed at the landform's pointy outline.

"Yeah," said Kinau, monotone. "We're going to get him alright. And when we do, we're going to skin him alive…"


	13. Chapter 13: You'll Pay For This!

Navayu woke with a groan, blinking a few times to let her vision focus. She looked around at the darkness in confusion, and winced as her head began to pound. She turned slowly over and tried to stand up, but screamed as she hit the ground again with a thud. She coughed softly, and groaned as she tried again to get up. But she slipped and hit the cold rock floor, giving a sharp cry of pain. The lioness then lay there, breathing heavily, as she tried to figure out what had happened. All she could remember was her running to Damitra, then her brother shouting her name from a place higher than she was. She was beyond confused. She dizzily surveyed her surroundings, trying to figure out just where she was. She looked to the far right, where the mouth of the cave opened to reveal the flat surface of the rock coming to a point. Navayu then gasped as she realized where she was. She was in the cave on Pride Rock! She then growled with malice as a hyena approached her from the entrance, but sighed with relief as it appeared to be a different hyena. She smiled warmly at Navayu and dropped a flank of gazelle meat at her front paws. She looked up at her, confused.

"Where am I?" she asked with a cub-like innocence. Leeana smiled compassionately.

"You're in Pride Rock's cave, dear." She said. Navayu smiled at her pleasant voice. "I'm Leeana."

"I'm Navayu. I figured I was here, but can you tell me why?" Leeana smiled at her.

"Jedkin," she said softly, and then trotted to the opposing side of the cave. She picked up a small gray ball in her mouth and placed it beside Navayu with a smile. "Watch over her for me, won't you?" Navayu nodded and studied the pup closer, smiling at her innocence. She was so blind, so helpless, and Navayu couldn't stop herself from cooing softly. Leeana smiled at her warmly, and then returned to the mouth of the cave. She hesitated for a moment before continuing forward and around the corner, out of Navayu's sight. Navayu nudged the little ball of fuzz to her stomach, where she could feel the pup if it moved, and began to slowly consume her meal.

After her meal was partially gone, she nudged it to the side and laid her head on her paws after placing the tiny pup inside of them. She cradled the small bundle lovingly, not even noticing as a dark figure slunk into the cave and sat about ten feet from her.

"Pathetic, isn't she?" Navayu looked dead straight into Jedkin's eyes. He gestured toward the pup. She flattened her ears back and growled lowly.

"Kind of like you, eh?" She smiled at her witty retort. But to her dismay, and surprise, it seemed to not phase Jedkin's mood.

"Most would agree…" he said simply. "But nothing can bring me down any longer." Navayu, still glaring, raised a brow.

"And why is that?" He flashed an insidious grin and began to slowly walk around her.

"I love it!" he said, eyes glittering as they met hers. "You're so innocent! Don't you see what's going on? I am the king now Navayu." This made the lioness laugh cruelly, but it still did not even hinder his mood. "And a King is nothing without a Queen…" Navayu slowly pieced the puzzle together. Suddenly, she realized what was going on.

"What?! You can't do…"

"That, my dear, is where you're wrong. You're trapped in this petty cave with no strength, and you're fate is totally in my hands. For instance, I could simply kill you now." He paused briefly and extended his razor-blade claws. He wriggled his toes to let the light glisten off them softly before retracting them. "With a flick of my wrist I could slice you in half. And our idiot brothers are separated from us! This leaves us all alone; just me and you. And if you try to escape, my hyena collogues have direct orders to simply maul you again until you're back in the state you are now and drag you back up here."

"You bastard…" she whispered lowly, tone demonic and cold. It didn't even sound like her. "You'll pay for this…" Jedkin laughed.

"How? All your brother has is my sibling and the lionesses. All of the lionesses are afraid of me already! And I could easily kill both of our brothers! So why carry a lingering hope that will never come to pass?" He was now in front of her, smiling sinisterly. "In other words, Navayu, this means you've got no choice," he smiled at her as he stuck his face down towards hers, "You will be my Queen, bear my children, and you _will_ love me." Navayu might not have been able to get up, but her spirit hadn't been weakened any. With an ear-splitting demonic roar, she used all her strength to cuff him across the face. This sent him flying backwards, and tumbling a few times before finally halting. They both lay in silence, Navayu never taking her eyes off him and Jedkin only breathing. He then stood up and glared at her, blood running down his cheek.

Navayu gasped. Finley curved into the top and bottom of his right eye socket was a deep, profusely bleeding gash. Navayu stopped breathing; that was the same scar that Taka had acquired.

"Your soul is that of Taka's," she said softly but nonetheless coldhearted, "and now you've got the marking to match."

"Your insolence is going to get you hurt one of these days…" he muttered coldly, turning to exit the cave. He looked back at her one last time from the mouth of the structure. "I'm going to make your life a living hell...I just hope you're ready." Navayu smiled.

"Oh, I'm ready." She replied with attitude. "You see Jedkin, I've already been there," she paused as her eyes glistened, "and they kicked me out."


	14. Chapter 14: The Visitor

Damitra's dark body cut through the fog like an obsidian knife as she trotted along silently. She was completely silent, ears flattened back, and was trotting low so that only the area from her eyes up was visible over the fog. She glanced around as she trekked onward, thinking of how strange the weather had been. It had smelled like rain for the past few days, but nothing had happened. The air was only semi-humid, and even now, in the darkest hour of the night, all that was here was a thick fog. But never mind it. All she cared about now was getting Navayu back.

She soon came within thirty yards of Pride Rock. The cloud of fog ended abruptly, seeming to dissolve into the grass itself. Nevertheless, she stayed undetectable and she slunk closer to the ground through the grasses. After she was about ten yards away from the structure, she paused and pressed her underbelly to the dirt. She scanned the outcropping of the structure and spotted two hyenas lazily strolling around the perimeter. Her eyes shimmered as she bared her teeth quickly, and waited for their attention to be completely diverted from her before continuing on towards the side of the rock. She clambered up the small trail quietly as possible, until accidentally jarring a rock loose. It crackled and thumped as it rolled down the hill, Damitra gasping quietly and flattening against the wall she was closest to. However, to her surprise, they ran to the side and looked over. '_Stupid cretins,' she_ thought silently as she continued up on to the rock and slipping into the cave. Her ebonite pelt did come in handy, after all.

Once inside the cave her incentive was simple; find Navayu and try to get her out of here. She padded softly towards a shadowed corner and stood, surveying her surroundings. She could make out two figures in the dark' each on either side of the cave. The one close nearby was darker and she could scarcely make out a mane. '_Jedkin,' _she thought silently, and smiled when she found that the further lump was lighter with dark legs, not to mention mane-less. She trotted over to find Navayu, sleeping soundly. She gently nudged her with her muzzle, Navayu's eyes flicking open almost instantly. It took her a minute to determine who, and what, the figure was, but when she did she was overjoyed.

"Damitra!" she exclaimed softly. The two smiled and nuzzled happily. "It's so good to see you!" Damitra smiled and nodded.

"You too," she whispered, "but you look terrible!" Navayu shrugged.

"Between not being able to walk, rather painfully crawl, and defending myself against Jedkin, who keeps trying to mate with me, I don't have too much time to rest and recuperate." Damitra frowned sympathetically, but soon shook herself out of it. "We need to get you out of here," she said, attempting to help her up. Navayu hit the floor with a tiny thump as she fell. Damitra glared at Jedkin and then tried to help her up again. No use; she hit the ground again. "Damitra stop," she said softly, but Damitra wouldn't give up. She continued to try to help her up, but soon Navayu forced her to stop.

"Why won't you try?!" she said harshly, ignoring Navayu's gestures for her to quiet down. "Your mate misses you! Nibanu misses you!" She paused as her eyes watered. "_I _miss you!" Navayu looked at her paws. During the short period of time that they'd been with the Dark Legion, Damitra and herself had acquired a sister-like friendship. "Navayu, Nibanu was crying." Navayu looked at her.

"What?!" she demanded, astounded. Damitra nodded.

"When you passed out in the riverbed, he started to cry." Navayu blinked silently.

"Wow," she whispered. "He hasn't cried since our mom died…" Damitra looked at her solemnly.

"Do you understand now?" Damitra asked, "Now do you see why we miss you so much? We love you, Navayu. All of us! The lionesses want you back too!" Navayu smiled.

"Damitra, listen to me." She spoke softly, lovingly. "You're never going to get me out of here, and you know that." Damitra shook her head.

"Don't talk like that! Of course you can Navayu! We can sneak…"

"Damitra…" She looked at Navayu, whose smile told her what she was thinking. Damitra sighed.

"You're right," she said softly. "But I'm not going to forget about you! Don't think that for even one second!" Navayu smiled up at her.

"I never thought that for one second…" She smiled at Damitra, who simply beamed back. "You should get out of here before they catch you," she said lowly, gesturing toward the door. Damitra smiled and nodded, nuzzling her before turning to leave. "Damitra?" She looked back at Navayu, who smiled at her warmly. "I love you sis." Damitra nodded with a smile.

"You too, sis," with that, she turned around and began walking toward the door, looking at the stars outside.

"And just where do you think you're going?" Damitra froze and spotted a pair of flickering emerald eyes in the shadows. She bared her teeth as Jedkin emerged from the dark.

"To tell Kinau just what you did to her!" she snapped. Jedkin smiled, blocking her way out.

"A king also needs a pride, right?" Damitra snorted. "And, as king, I personally get to choose what females to accept, do I not?" His eyes shimmered as a sneer cracked across his muzzle. "Why don't you be the first to my little family?"

"You wish!" she snarled, leaping on to him. They went rolling, but he threw her off. She shook her head before looking up at him coming closer. She soon leapt up and got her footing, again taking her defensive stance. Navayu was watching, but remained helpless to do anything. Jedkin growled as he leapt for her, but she dodged his attack and ran past him. She raced to the path and leapt almost all the way down it, the hyenas growling and cackling as they gave chase to her.

"Get her!" Jedkin said, sending three more after her as well. 'They must've been sleeping nearby,' she thought as she ran. Skidding to a halt, she whirled around to face her attackers. They all surrounded her, snapping and snarling. A particularly daring one leapt at her, but she simply hit it back with a swing of her razor blade claws. Another leapt towards her feet, an attack to which she reared up and dug her claws down into it's skull with as much force as possible. It yelped then lay there limp, the others not even noticing. She then turned and leapt over the two behind her, who surprisingly had failed to attack her, and ran towards the Outlands. She looked back and gasped in horror as they ripped apart the carcass of their fallen brother. She then shook her head and continued running. She was almost to the cave entrance when she was side-tackled by another figure. With a roar they went rolling, but soon halted. She saw that it was only Nibanu, and he saw it was only her.

"Where were you?!" he demanded worriedly, nuzzling her. She simply said nothing and brushed past him, face frozen in a deadly glare. He trotted up next to her and walked with her until they were back in the cave, neither saying anything. She collapsed in the darkest corner of the den, Nibanu slowly approaching her and laying next to her. "Are you okay?" he asked somberly, eyes glittering in the dim light. No sooner had he said those words, Damitra placed her head on his chest and began to sob. Nibanu, surprised, was frozen for a few seconds before placing his paw on hers and nuzzling her between the ears.

"We've got to get her back," she repeated over and over, slowly pressing harder on Nibanu. He frowned as he laid his chin on her head comfortingly. After a few minutes, she regained her self-control and only sniffled every so often. It remained silent for a few minutes, although they seemed like hours to Nibanu.

"You went to Pride Rock, didn't you?" he asked. She nodded in reply.

"Jedkin's been trying to rape her, I guess," she said softly. A chill went down Nibanu's spine, but he said nothing. Just gritted his teeth a bit…

"That bastard's going to die REAL soon…" he whispered, and she nodded in agreement. She sniffled, laying her head across his paws.

"Thanks so much for being here, Nibanu," she said softly, looking at him in the eyes. She then licked his cheek and settled again, falling asleep. Nibanu stifled a gasp, but then smiled lovingly as he licked her between the eyes. He then lay his head on hers, and also fell asleep.


	15. Chapter 15: The Pep Talk

All the lionesses woke early the next morning to the deafening sound of Kinau's roar. They all slowly got around to getting up, marching outside to find him sitting on the overhang above the den entrance. All of them took a seat, forming a small circle and all staring up at him intently.

"My friends," he began, "one of our own has been captured. She is being held in the cave at Pride Rock by my brother, whom, as you all know, is anything _but_ a negotiable leader. You all know her, you all love her; and this is why we must get her back." A few random shouts of encouragement were heard from the lionesses before he continued. "Jedkin has apparently 'taken over' the savannah, in his mind anyway, and is forcing Navayu to be his queen." Damitra cringed, thinking of what she'd told her, and Nibanu, who was behind her, simply snorted disgustedly. Kinau's sergeant-like voice soon lost it's luster and dropped to his normal tone. He looked at all of them with a pleading look, sighing. "Look," he said finally, trying to keep his voice from cracking, "Navayu is special to me. I...I love her. And I need your help to get her home, where she really belongs." He paused, eyes darting from one to another and seeming to make a special bond with all of them. "Will you help me?"

Without a moment's delay, there was a giant uproar through the small pride. All of them roared with a smile, throwing their heads skyward in unison. Kinau smiled, looking at Nibanu. He smiled back. After a few minutes Kinau called for their attention once again.

"The training will be brutal, painful, and most likely difficult. But I believe that we can do it! Just think of it as a way to get back at Jedkin for all the times he's pissed you off!" All of the pride members giggled, and the ever-rambunctious Nikka pushed her way impatiently to the front.

"Well?!" she yelled, mischievous grin spread across her tiny muzzle. "What are you waiting for? Let's GO!" They all giggled, and took off toward the deserted termite mounds nearby.

Once inside, they were a treacherous maze. Nothing like the looming, simple structures they looked to be on the outside. Sharp edges and outcroppings rose to the highest reaches of the mounds, tiny paths winding sickeningly two and fro in an insane manner. Damitra called out when she and Nibanu entered the biggest one, not expecting such a demented setting. Kinau and Jedkin were the only ones allowed to visit them, and so both were the only ones knowing of their structural safety. Kinau had directed them to find their way through this particularly large one, and afterwards to be ready for agility training as soon as they got out. It took them quite a while to trek through it all, most cutting themselves on the sharp corners or stubbing their paws in blunt corners or against walls. Damitra was the first to find her way out, and gasped when she realized what she had to do.

Kinau lunged at her with a roar, and she simply screamed. He pinned her forcibly down, growling at her face with malice. Her eyes were huge, and she began to shake slightly. Kinau's gaze softened as he rolled off of her and brushed himself off.

"W-What'd I do wrong?" she stammered dizzily. She stood up, but tucked her tail between her quivering back limbs. She wouldn't be so freaked out if she had expected him to do that. But a large body lunging at you freaked you out, no matter who it was.

"Nothing," he said simply, smiling. "That's the second part of the training, Damitra." She smiled as she understood completely. "Go re-do the maze, but just be ready for me this time, alright? If I were Jedkin, you would've been dead." She nodded and raced around the gigantic mound to end up right back at the beginning. Most of the lionesses ended up back at the beginning for a second time, a few a third (the maze was to get their flexibility and endurance up, the fighting for their combat training). The only ones to escape fully in the first try were Nibanu and Nikka. Kinau had laughed when she came out, insisting that he fight her. He went to playfully hit her with his paw and she bit him…HARD. Nibanu just fought like a beast, but both were careful not to hurt each other. They did this repeatedly, all day, until the lionesses all had pinned Kinau at least once and could contort themselves to his liking. That is, they could race through the mounds, practically sprinting, and came out with not even a scrape. This lasted all day in the intense heat, and their training was completed.

All of them were now inside the den again, exhausted and sore, save for Nibanu and Damitra. They were outside, gazing at the stars from their backs on the top of the overhang. Nibanu craned his neck to look over at Damitra, who met his gaze with glittering eyes.

"I want you to be careful tomorrow." He said lovingly, placing a paw on hers. She smiled and nuzzled his chest.

"I swear."

"Damitra, I really mean it. I don't want to loose you." She smiled at him and he licked her cheek.

"Nibanu, I'm not going to be stupid! I understand that. I don't want to loose you either…" Both then said, completely in unison "Because I love you". They both smiled and nuzzled, touching noses briefly.

"Jedkin's really going to be surprised when we ambush him!" Nibanu snickered cruelly. Damitra laughed and nodded.

"Yeah, payback's a bitch!" They laughed, and then Nibanu stood up and shook.

"We should go inside and rest, love," he said, licking her between the eyes before she stood up. She nuzzled him, wrapping her tail around his and squeezing gently.

"That way we'll be fresh for the morning's battle," she said softly, and leapt off the overhang. Nibanu followed, trotting with her to where she slept, and then nuzzled her goodnight. Kinau smiled happily, glad Damitra found someone. He heard a soft rustle at the mouth of the den, but he was so happy for Damitra and Nibanu that he didn't pay it any heed. He simply smiled and continued to sleep. But he wouldn't have been smiling if he knew that that sound was the clatter of retreating hooves; the retreating hooves of a spy.

Navayu growled as Jedkin dropped a flower at her paws.

"For my little flower," he sneered. Navayu laughed cruelly.

"A tad on the corny side, isn't it?" He snarled at her.

"Why can't you appreciate ANYTHING I do for you? HUH?! Am I really THAT bad of a person?" Navayu smiled with malice.

"Is that a rhetorical question?" she asked evilly, smiling as he glared at her. "Besides; why would I think highly of one who has to try and RAPE me to get me to bear his children?!" He raised his paw to her, as if to backhand her.

"Shut up, you insolent little…" he cut himself off, drawing it back to hit her. But, thankfully, Jacobi appeared just in time.

"Jedkin, you have a visitor," he said softly. Jedkin looked at Jacobi, then at Navayu, and then put his raised paw down. He followed the hyena outside, where a shaking zebra stallion stood in waiting, glancing skittishly at the surrounding hyena guards.

"Speak your name, stranger!" The stallion's eyes widened as he looked into Jedkin's impatient gaze.

"Tymin," he stuttered with a gulp. Jedkin cocked a brow.

"Your business?" The bewildered animal blinked a few times before speaking.

"Those l-lions on the other s-side of the r-river," he stammered, "they spoke of an at-attack tomorrow morning at d-d-dawn." Jedkin glared at him, letting the hyenas advance a bit.

"Why should I believe you?" he asked. The guards cackled and laughed as they looked at him with glittering, hungry eyes.

"I d-don't know…" he said nervously. "I j-just thought you might want to know since you're the one they're p-planning to attack. An a-act of good will, if you p-please." Jedkin smiled cockily at him and approached the stallion, snuffing him before speaking.

"He tells no lies; he smells of the grasses near the den." Jedkin said softly before looking back up at him. "You hear that men? They're going to try and kill us tomorrow!" The hyenas all giggled sinisterly. Jedkin smiled at the stallion. "Thank you ever so much Tymin for warning us in advance!" he said slyly, turning to walk off. The hyenas then encircled him and laughed insidiously as they began to leap at him. Tymin kicked and whinnied in anguish, and Jedkin smiled as he looked back at him. Tymin's gaze was locked on him, a pitiful, longing stare through the legs of feasting hyenas. Jedkin smiled. "Pleasure doing business with you."


	16. Chapter 16: Oh My God

Kinau was restless as he tried to sleep. He thought deeply about what tomorrow might bring, and this kept him up. What if they didn't succeed? Would Jedkin kill them all? And if they did, what would become of his brother? These questions and many more kept him tossing and turning, but he soon settled and managed to catch some sleep. But the young leader did not sleep very long before something amazing happened…

Kinau slowly woke up, shivering at the cold that had overcome him. He slowly rolled over and looked at his pride. They were all resting soundly, but there was something peculiar going on. There was a thick trail of fog rolling into the cave. The trial, however, was snaking through them, as if carefully avoiding contact with their skin. But it pooled around him, giving his an immense feeling of cold.

"_Kinau_…" Kinau scrambled to his feet, daring not to breathe. The voice who had spoken, although it was gentel and smooth, seemed to be coming from the fog _itself_. "_Kinau_…" the voice rang again. His eyes grew wide, heart pounding in his ribcage.

"W-Who are you?!" he demanded, looking around. But the voice simple repeated his name. Something inside Kinau was pulling him toward the trail of fog. After a few minutes of hesitation, he slowly got up and followed the trail. He was careful not to step on any of the sleeping members of his pride as he made his way out of the cave, a bit more weary as he got outside the mouth of the den.

"_Kinau_…" the voice repeated, monotone. Kinau gulped as he began to trot faster. The fog led him to the lake nearby. He looked around, then smiled and rolled his eyes. This stress was making him hallucinate. The voice was in his head all along, and the fog was simply coming from the lake. He smiled, shaking his head.

"Wow, buddy," he said to himself, "You're slowly going crazy!" He laughed, still shaking his head, and turned to leave.

"_Where are you going Kinau_?" He froze. He was still for a moment, looking at the ground with his jaw dropped. A bright, pulsating ivory light danced on the ground beneath him, small pebbles rolling past his paws. He looked behind him with a gulp.

He remained motionless for a few moments, jaw open in astonishment. In the center of the lake, where the bright light was coming from, stood a lion. He was all white, thick mane fluffy and dense with age. His eyes were pure white, but they still had a warm, soft glow to them. The water below him rippled and splashed, sparkling. Kinau suddenly realized who it was with a gasp.

"Oh my God…" he stammered, breathing in scattered breaths of amazement. "You're…"

"_Yes, Kinau_." Simba said, smiling at him. "_I am_." Kinau was too dumbfounded to speak. "_I have come to offer you encouragement_."

"But you're…dead…" he stuttered, blinking. Simba smiled.

"_Just because I am not on earth does not mean I cannot reside in the heavens._" Kinau sat down, still too amazed to speak. "_I have been looking after you, Kinau_," he said, smiling. "_But your brother is following the wrong path. But you_," he smiled, treading towards him, "_you are on the right track_." Kinau smiled at him.

"T-Thank you, sir," he said softly with a cub-like innocence. Simba smiled, standing directly in front of him.

"_Tomorrow, you will fight one of the bloodiest battles in the history of these lands_." Kinau nodded. "_But do not fear. Your will is stronger than any I've see in a long time, and your compassion for the well being of all around you makes you special. You will prevail tomorrow; I'm sure of that. And Navayu will be fine_." Kinau looked up at the mention of his mate's name. "_She is a strong girl, Kinau. Her will matches yours, and so does her drive to succeed. The only thing Jedkin can do is to try and make you feel defeated…_"

"How do you know?" he asked seriously. "We can never know, for sure, our futures." Simba smiled.

"_This is true, Kinau_," He agreed. "_But you have to remember that I am one of the Great Kings now. I have a certain, instinctual foresight now. You're right; I do not know for certain whether or not you will be successful._"

"But I'll give 'em hell, that's for sure!" he said. Both laughed softly.

"_That's what I like about you_," He said with a smile, "_always optimistic. But I can assure you this_." Kinau met gazes with him. "_I will be with you in battle. All of us will be_." Kinau looked behind him, where all the great kings were now standing. Even Taka was with them, smiling at Kinau.

"_Your brother's following in my footsteps_," he said with a laugh. "_What an idiot_!" all of them laughed. Taka approached Kinau and placed a paw on his shoulder. It went numb as the phantom came in contact with him. "_You'll do fine_!" Kinau smiled at him.

"_How'd you get into heaven_?" he asked softly in a non-mocking way. Taka smiled at him.

"_My transgressions were forgiven before I passed, as my brother is a bit too compassionate for his own good. But I'm afraid your brother's will not_." Kinau nodded with a smile as he retreated back to the other kings. "_But what he's done to Navayu is horrifying, and so he deserves it. I'm sorry to say it, but it's true_." Kinau smiled and nodded. "_But don't worry_;" he said with a smile, "_you're a better king than he ever will be. He's just too blind to see that, like I was_." Simba smiled as he watched him venture off.

"_My daughter and Nala are watching over your mate_," he said softly. "_She will be fine as well_."

"_Spittin' image of me_!" Kovu yelled egotistically from behind Simba. All of them laughed. "_With a face like that, you'll definitely win_!" All of them chuckled, and then the other kings disappeared.

"_I must return to my place in the stars now_," he said with a sigh, laying a paw on his shoulder. "_But I wish you luck. Never surrender hope, Kinau. I will be with you_." Kinau smiled and nodded, watching the great king walk back toward the center of the lake. The mighty king gave Kinau a courteous nod, as did Kinau, and then disintegrated. The tiny white particles flew up towards a bright star, and then disappeared as the star twinkled. Kinau smiled at the star, and then got up and retreated back to the den.


	17. Chapter 17: The Battle

Kinau woke earliest of the Dark Legion, hesitating for a few hours to think in quiet solitude. Simba's spoken words had encouraged him, along with all the other king's, but he still had butterflies. After he woke them, they all slowly got up. They had the same feeling he did.

A melancholic feeling hovered over all of them as they all lined up in a sort of formation, little Nikka soon bursting through the crowd to stand by Kinau.

"Let's go!" she squeaked, but Kinau just smiled.

"I'm afraid you've got to stay here with your mom, little one," he said gently, picking her up by her scruff and placing her at Duyani's paws. They nuzzled Kinau, wished them all good luck, and retreated to the safety of the cave. Kinau smiled as he looked at all of them. Nibanu took his place beside him, and he began to talk.

"We all know some of us might die, and some of us will triumph." All of them smiled understandingly, nodding in agreement. "But I'm not going to drone on for an hour about our battle-to-be." He paused and let a gigantic grin crack his thick lips in half. "So, in short, let's not give up hope and fight the good fight. And look at it this way; if we don't make it, at least they'll have one hell of a fight to talk about for years to come!" All of them gave, in unison, a triumphant roar, and began to sprint towards Pride Rock. It was really an awesome sight to see them run together, seeming to form one giant body with all the muscles working together in perfect unison. They all soared over the riverbed, Kinau roaring as he landed. They leapt over various logs and rocks in the same uniformed manner, simply looking like a ripple in the pelt of the beast they made up.

They soon neared their target, and all of them spread out to form a long line. Although there were only ten lionesses in the pride, not including Damitra, Nikka, and Duyani, they were ready to take on Jedkin's hyena army of about fifty. Five stood on Nibanu's right side, and five were on Kinau's left, Damitra in between them. They all then began to approach the rock until one of them shouted.

"Look!" she yelled, and all of them looked up to see Jedkin's looming figure on the end of the outcropping on Pride Rock. Kinau bared his teeth and snarled loudly.

"What?" Jedkin mused cruelly. "You really think we weren't expecting this?" A mass of hyenas appeared behind him, snapping and snarling at the Dark Legion. Kinau furrowed his brow and snorted.

"Those fleabags are as useless as you, brother!" he yelled, all the lionesses agreeing verbally. Jedkin placed a paw where his heart was (that is, if he had one).

"Oh," he said dramatically, "that really hurts! Gets me right here!" He sneered and took a step forward. "Kinau, when will you learn that your tongue won't fight your fights for you?" Kinau roared.

"Get them!" he yelled, without a moment's hesitation. They all roared ferociously as they charged forward. Jedkin rolled his eyes.

"You've always been impatient!" he yelled before giving the hyenas orders to attack also. Half of them ascended the pathway, simply a gigantic black blob of laughing hyenas. The rest of them took defensive stances either on the path or around their leader. The foot-soldiers were hasty in their attack, the most eager running full sprint forward with laughter. The lionesses roared and snarled, approaching fast. The two rippling waves of claws, teeth, and snarling got closer and closer until…

A large puff of smoke erupted from the dusty savannah clearing. Jedkin's eyes glistened as he studied the murky, creamish blur beneath him. But his smile soon turned into a gasp of horror as the smoke settled, revealing a gruesome sight. The lionesses were covered in blood, hyenas all around. Both parties were fighting to the death, although no lionesses had went down yet. Hyena carcasses were all over, some twisted so grotesquely that they weren't recognizable. Some were split in half. One hyena was whimpering, crawling with only his front two limbs slowly away. His insides were oozing out of a deep gash in his side, leaving a trail of blood wherever he moved to. He didn't get far before Damitra leapt on him and finished him, leaping off onto another and breaking its back. She then whirled around to see Nibanu, slowly clambering up the pathway. All he had to do was hit the hyenas and they flew off the side, falling into the battle below them. He eventually made his way through, but to no avail.

Jedkin roared as he tackled Nibanu, both rolling. This time, however, Nibanu pinned him down. Placing a paw down on his throat, Nibanu sneered at him.

"Nibanu…" Jedkin addressed him coldly.

"_Satan_…" he beamed back.

Nibanu cuffed him across the face powerfully, but soon roared has Jedkin tore at his stomach. He fell backwards, Jedkin leaping towards him. Nibanu rolled sideways, letting Jedkin smack the rock with a sickening thump. He wasted no time leaping on him again, biting down hard on his shoulder as he stood up. Jedkin roared and backed up a few steps before somersaulting. Nibanu jumped off though, in time, only to be caught off guard by Jedkin's swiping right paw. He tripped and rolled towards the edge of Pride Rock, luckily catching himself with his claws. He hung halfway off the edge, like in the riverbed, and like so many before him had done. He gasped as he clawed the slippery rock helplessly, soon letting out a horrified gasp as Jedkin smiled down at him.

Kinau hit the hyena who'd leapt at him hard in the neck, snapping his clavicle. He tore at his stomach until he knew he was dead, dodging more flying, snapping teeth. He then ran and killed one leaping for Damitra, who smiled at him in gratitude. After surprisingly busting through the battle, he looked out at his surroundings. His pride was covered in blood, dripping off of them in gigantic gobs, and a feverish hate burned in their eyes. Kinau knew that the hyenas had been at war with the lions for some time, but never thought it was this bad. He roared as he leapt on another hyena, cuffing it in the back of the neck and landing on it. It gave a sharp yelp and fell forward, and was crushed by Kinau's weight. Kinau began to charge forward into the bloodbath in front of him until he skidded to a halt and looked up.

"No…" he whispered faintly as he spotted Nibanu. With a roar, he charged through them all, hell-bent on getting to his adopted brother. One hyena leapt out in front of him, but he simply trampled on it. One leapt at his side and managed to hold on, biting his sides. Kinau roared and bucked up, letting him fly off. As soon as he landed Damitra mauled him, ripping his neck open with one bite. Kinau soon ascended the pathway, leaping over or hitting hyenas out of his way. But they soon halted him near the top, surrounding him and snapping. He snarled as he batted them off, looking over them to see if Nibanu was alright. "Hold on Nibanu!" he screamed, Nibanu looking over at him in fright. He then yowled in pain as Jedkin dug has claws into the tops of his paws. Jedkin laughed maniacally, thinking of what he'd imagined a few weeks ago when they were up here last. Nibanu had plunged to his doom…and he would do it now, too.

"Say goodnight, Nibanu!" He yelled, cackling as he went to pull his nails out and push him. But he was stopped suddenly. All Nibanu saw was a blur of cream, black, and gray. As he scrambled to regain his footing, he smiled as he saw Navayu pin Jedkin down.

"You BASTARD!" she yelled, hitting him across the face again, "DON'T YOU _EVER_ TOUCH MY BROTHER!" Jedkin snarled in pain, and then kicked her swiftly in the stomach. She heaved as she tumbled off of him sideways, shaking her head before leaping up again. Jedkin circled her, cackling.

"You really think you can fight _me_?" he inquired snidely, smiling.

"How many times do we have to go through this?! I don't think," She snarled, hunching down, "I KNOW!!!" With a roar she leapt at him and began to slice him apart, giving him numerous, deep cuts and shredding him up. He was also fighting her, but not doing as much damage. While she had him off-guard, Kinau had broke free of the hyenas and ran to help Nibanu. This was no easy task, seeing as it was pouring down rain now and the rock was slippery. He grabbed Nibanu's scruff in his mouth and pulled upward until Nibanu caught footing and hoisted himself back up. Both brothers then looked on in horror to see their siblings rip each other apart.

Jedkin snarled as he bucked around, Navayu on his back. She dug her claws into his shoulders mercilessly and side-bit his neck, nicking a chunk of flesh out where his jugular was. He threw her off and charged her, clawing at her face as he pinned her. She pushed him off with a roar, both going tumbling. She then jumped off, baring her teeth as they leapt at each other again. Navayu hit him with her head in his stomach, and he coughed when the wind was knocked out of him. He gagged and gasped as he flew back, taking a deep breath as he tried to stand up. But Navayu was already on top of him, reared up in front of him. She started clawing at his eyes, and then gripped his ear between her clenched teeth and ripped upward with vigor, tearing a large chunk out of it. He yelped and backed up, Navayu spitting the chunk out in front of Kinau. He leapt at her, knocking her sideways and bit into her side, puncturing her obloquies deeply. She threw him off with a cry of pain, and the two charged at each other again. They were no longer the lions that the observing two had known. They were demons, killers; their ruthlessness was indescribable. The only thing that sparked within either of their glazed eyes was death.

After about fifteen minutes, the two had come to a standstill. Navayu was panting. Jedkin was panting too, but he was also half-laughing.

"See," he said weakly between breaths, managing to crack his infamous smile, "You…can't…win…" Navayu glared at him coldly.

"The funny thing is," she paused and sniffled, grinning insidiously, "I can…You're just too stubborn to admit that…" Jedkin growled at her. The adversaries stared at each other for a few minutes, blood leaking out of their cuts and running off the edge of Pride Rock in small streams as it mixed with the rain. Jedkin was the first to move, and began circling her again. When he got behind her, he leaped with a roar. But he soon found himself painfully pinned to the wall near the mouth of the cave by Kinau's front paws. Soon after, however, Kinau roared in pain as he was rushed by hyenas and knocked sideways. "NO!" Navayu screamed in anguish, leaping at the cluster of canines. With a mighty roar she fended them off, smacking one so hard across its face that it snapped its neck. She threw a few off of the rock, letting them fall to death on the jagged rocks below, and simply mauled the others. She then helped Kinau up, but both gasped as Jedkin lunged for them with a roar. Nibanu, however, side-tackled the brute and they went rolling. They fought for a few minutes, tearing each other up even worse until Jedkin's foot slipped off the same edge Nibanu's had. He gasped as he fell backward, managing to grip on with one paw. With a screech he flicked the other one up, but couldn't push himself fully back up. A large bolt of lightening streaked across the sky, silencing the bloodbath beneath them. All the lionesses and hyena soldiers gasped as they looked up at the fight.

"Doesn't feel so great when you're hanging off, does it Jedkin?" Nibanu mused coldly, smiling. Jedkin glanced down, winced, and continued to try and climb his way back up. Kinau and Navayu soon showed up at Nibanu's side, all of them smiling maliciously as they looked down at Jedkin's pathetic predicament. He locked eyes with Kinau, looking desperate.

"Brother," he whispered in fear, eyes wide. "Help me up!" he reached a paw up lovingly, smiling. Kinau smiled evilly and smacked it away, cutting the pad. Jedkin gave a painful yelp and clutched on to the rock. He began to breathe faster, heart rattling his ribcage. "Nibanu! What about that day we were up here, huh?!" Nibanu just smiled down at him.

"That meant nothing to me, as I'm sure it did you!" he answered, smiling with the same melancholic expression as Kinau.

"Please! I beg of you! I don't want to die! I want to live!" he wailed pitifully, eyes racing from one to another. Navayu leaned down to his face, glittering eyes meeting his. She smiled with malice, the most evil expression that Jedkin had ever seen.

"You've tried to murder us all, Jedkin. We all know your true side." She laughed. "And to think I trusted you! What a waste of time and emotions." Jedkin gulped as He lost grip in one paw and dangled by the other. "Say you want to live? Don't even think that! As you said before, why carry a lingering hope that will never come to pass?" Jedkin's eyes grew wide in disbelief.

"No…" he whispered faintly, shaking his head from side to side. Navayu smiled.

"Bye now, Jedkin. And when you get to hell, tell the devil he owes me five bucks!" With that, Kinau pushed his paw off the edge. Jedkin screamed as he fell to the ground with a roar, and hit it with a sickening and silencing thud. An ear splitting shatter filled the air as his spine twisted and snapped in half, all four of his legs breaking also. All three looked down on him as a river of blood poured from a gigantic gash in his temple, and his jade eyes were glazed over in a crystal haze. The rain soaked his matted mane and rippled in the gigantic pool of scarlet liquid that surrounded him. The king was dead.

Damitra watched him fall, but looked away as he hit the turf. She laid her ears back as she heard his bones crack, but wasted no time grieving for him as she ran to Nibanu. She yelled for them as she met them, nuzzling them all in thankfulness for their safety. She licked Nibanu's cheek and laid her head on his chest lovingly, sighing with relief. Kinau and Navayu did the same, grateful to see each other at last. But Navayu soon broke away with a gasp, rushing into the mouth of the cave. She appeared within seconds, carrying one fluffy bundle in her mouth, and raced (more so hobbled with her leg injured yet again) down the path.

"Leeana!" she yelled through clenched teeth. The hyena emerged from the cluster of dazed canines and smiled thankfully as she took them.

"Thanks so much, Navayu," she whispered, almost in tears. "She then whipped around to face all the others. "This lioness is our friend!" she declared, "And her friends our allies. She has saved us from Jedkin's questionable rule! Cheer for our victors!" A mighty uproar came from the hyena crowd, along with the lionesses. All of them smiled bashfully. "From this day forward, our kinds will never fight again! We will co-exist peacefully within the Pridelands! Who's with me?!" Another cry of agreement rang out, and they all smiled. Navayu ran back up to her mate, taking her place beside him proudly. Then, in unison, all of them gave a mighty roar.


	18. Chapter 18: Aftermath

Navayu gulped as a tear rolled down her cheek. She hung her head, Damitra doing the same. Kinau's eyes watered, but he said nothing. Nibanu just looked on somberly.

The four were huddled around a lump of upturned soil, not far from the west end of the river. Navayu dropped a few flowers on top of it from her trembling maw, sniffling as she pulled away. Damitra nuzzled her, and she laid her head on her shoulder.

"Why did it have to be like this?" She whispered, shaking her head. "Why?" Damitra shook her head.

"Some people are just like that, I guess," she said, voice wavering. "We'll never know." Nibanu placed a paw on her shoulder, nuzzling her and his mourning sister.

"We should go," he said softly, smiling lovingly. Both lionesses sniffled and nodded, getting up and trotting toward Pride Rock with him. Kinau stared at the soil solemnly, he himself sniffing. He looked at the ground, letting a single crystalline tear roll down his cheek and drip on the mound.

"Brother," he whispered softly, voice cracking. "I love you." With that, he turned and ran to the others.

After the battle, they all had participated in burying Jedkin and the fallen hyenas. They all dug a gigantic pit for the hyena bodies (they were far too numerous for individual burial) and covered it up, planting a small tree to commemorate the fallen soldiers. They buried Jedkin near the west end of the river, which is where they had just come from.

It took weeks for the Pridelands to be cleaned up completely. After the rain had settled the very same day, there was blood everywhere. No one dared to go near the small clearing in which they'd fought; it reeked of rotting flesh and dried blood so bad that it made them all gag. But, in time, it blossomed into a gigantic wildflower bed, the blood and decaying bits of flesh fertilizing the soil and making it richer than ever. That was where Navayu had gotten Jedkin's flowers, and every time she glanced at them it reminded her of him before he was overcome with his insatiable lust for power. Unlike Simba's return, however, the land was still teeming with life and had been through this whole ordeal. The hyenas had been given permission to house in the Outlands and full hunting permission for the Pride Lands. One brought the other gifts from time to time. Leeana's pups were a bit older now, and the little female looked like her so much that it was scary. Navayu simply smiled when they visited her, remembering how much she'd put up a fight so that she lived. Every time she saw her she called her 'Aunt Navayu', and called Kinau, Nibanu, and Damitra the same titles.

They had decided that their rule would be shared, although Nibanu insisted they not bring him into it. Both Navayu and Damitra were their queens, Kinau and Nibanu the official kings. The lionesses were all happy as well. Little Nikka had grown into a stunningly beautiful lioness, and she, Duyani, and Navayu often hunted together. She soon left them though, meeting a rouge lion named Faren. They promised they would return, although there was no word yet. It was hardest for Kinau to say good bye; he'd been like a father to her.

It was well into the spring of the following year, a foggy morning. The breeze was sullen and soft, warm to the touch and eastward bound. The sun was just peeking over the horizon, crimson shadows dancing on the ground beneath it. Animals were just rousing, nocturnal animals just settling down. In fact, it was much like the morning of the day she met Jedkin. But all was not well and good in the Royal Pride. Spring meant babies, and babies meant…


	19. Chapter 19: The Circle Completed Again

A sharp roar of agony came riveting out of the dark of the cave, echoing across the Pridelands. Kinau, who was pacing in front to the cave entrance, whipped around suddenly and leapt toward the cave. But he was stopped by Nibanu before entering.

"But…But…" he stammered. But Nibanu just smiled.

"Settle down, Kinau," he said softly, smiling. Both walked out to the end of the rock and laid down. "The lionesses have it under control. She'll be fine…" Another roar came out of the cave, but this time Nibanu looked towards the cave and leapt up. Kinau blocked his way, and Nibanu just shook his head, stunned.

"But…But…" he stammered. Kinau smiled and rolled his eyes.

"Look who's talking…" he said snobbishly. They both agreed to relax, and decided to take a walk.

They descended the pathway down Pride Rock, trotting into the savannah. The fog was up to their chests, parting as they sliced through it. Along the way, they stopped to greet a zebra mare and her just-awakening son.

"Morning sire," she said in a bubbly, cheerful tone. She smiled and stood up, shaking off. Her son struggled to stand, but soon caught his balance.

"Morning, ma'am." They both said in unison. Another roar was heard from the cave. The mare smiled at them.

"Expecting squirts, aye?" she asked, smiling. "Well best of luck there. This one's all I can handle for now." He nickered and nuzzled her chest as she licked him between the eyes. Both males smiled.

"Well, best get going," said Nibanu.

"Lovely to meet you." added Kinau.

"Oh how I _do _like polite rulers!" she said happily, nodding courteously as she trotted off. Both smiled and continued on their way. They stopped at the water hole for a drink, but soon found themselves splashing around in it. They didn't stay long though, at most ten minutes before continuing on their way. Both chatted pleasantly and joked on their way back toward Pride Rock, stopping in the 'flower garden' as they called it to pick a few flowers for their mates. They soon re-appeared on the outcropping, sitting down near the cave entrance. Kinau placed the African violets he'd gotten down by his feet, Nibanu placing the baby-blue foxgloves he'd gotten down as well. Both then waited in silence.

Although it was only a few minutes, it seemed like forever before someone spoke. But it was neither male; it was Duyani.

"M'lords," she said softly, both looking up at her. "Your mates would like you to come in." Both nodded and smiled, letting her return into the cave before standing. Kinau sighed through clenched teeth that held the flowers.

"You ready for this?" he asked Nibanu, smiling. Nibanu beamed back.

"Nope," he said simply. Both then chuckled softly as they walked into the cave. They sauntered past the lionesses, each whispering words of congratulation and/or encouragement as they passed. Both soon reached the back, where on the small upraised platform of slate, two lionesses lay in waiting. Both sighed, and approached their mates.

Nibanu placed the flowers near Damitra's front paws, the drowsy lioness smiling in contentment at him. They nuzzled, Damitra craning her neck weakly. Nibanu could feel the sweat on her face.

"Hello, love," she whispered softly, smiling. Nibanu smiled. "Thank you for the flowers." He nodded. She motioned towards her stomach, and Nibanu glanced. With a sigh showcasing a mix of anxiousness and excitement, he laid down and looked at the tiny cubs. They were so small, so helpless as they nursed silently at his mate's underbelly, quiet save for the occasional, high-pitched squeak. She smiled, looking at the female first. She looked like her dam, ebony pelt shimmering, with the smoke gray, tiger striped legs of her sire. The male had Nibanu's pelt color, but no leg markings. The tiny wisp of a tail tuft he had was white, showing that his mane would be as well. Nibanu smiled, eyes shimmering.

"They're beautiful," he whispered softly. "just like you." He nuzzled her tenderly. Both then glanced over at Kinau to see how he was holding up. He hadn't moved from his spot; he just stood there awkwardly, staring silently at Navayu. Kinau actually was hesitant to approach. Something inside him, a certain, unexplainable fear, held him back. Navayu smiled warmly.

"Kinau, love, come here." He gulped and approached her slowly, setting the flowers down before nuzzling her. She smiled, glancing down at her front paws. His turned his gaze downward, and gasped at what he saw.

A single, fuzzy cub was cradled in her paws, continuously squeaking softly and licking its lips with it's tiny pink tongue. It looked like him, except for it's legs. They looked as if they'd been dipped in chocolate, and were striped. Kinau was speechless for a minute, and smiled as he nuzzled it gently and licked it affectionately.

"Oh Navayu," he whispered, licking her cheek. "She's perfect…just perfect…" Navayu smiled.

"It's a boy," she corrected him, smiling warmly. He smiled excitedly, and then turned to run out of the cave. He sprinted past all of them, ignoring the questionable glances and comments. He skidded to a halt at the end of Pride Rock, chest panting, and roared as loud as he could.

"I've got a son!" he yelled. "I'VE GOT A SON!!!!" He declared this information with sheer, indescribable delight. "LET IT BE KNOWN THAT THE PRINCE IS BORN!" he roared again, this time louder than ever. He was so happy, it was unbelievable. He'd never felt so joyous in his life.

"Well done Kinau," The young king looked up to see Simba, smiling down at him from his place in the sky. "Well done." Kinau smiled at him, roaring once more before wheeling around to return to his mate's side. Simba smiled, looking down at Pride Rock as the sun glistened on its surface. The great king nodded in content, eyes glistening. "The circle is complete once again."


End file.
